A Tory leadership candidate has been challenged to visit Scotland to see first hand the number of people left relying on foodbanks due to UK Government policies.
SNP MP Kirsty Blackman told the Record that Kemi Badenoch's bid to become the next Prime Minister "should concern everyone" after the pair previously clashed in the House of Commons over the issue.
Badenoch's campaign has been endorsed by Michael Gove and is winning admirers among Scottish Conservatives.
The 42-year-old was one of a number of ministers to quit the UK Government last week to help force Boris Johnson from office.
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At her campaign launch this week, she promised to "discard the priorities of Twitter and focus on the people's priorities".
But Blackman said Badenoch had failed to respond to a letter in May inviting her to Aberdeen to see first hand the impact of Tory welfare policies.
It followed a lively exchange in the House of Commons in which the SNP MP for Aberdeen North asked the minister: "If the Conservative government is doing such wonderful things, how come my constituents can't afford to eat?"
Badenoch accused Blackman of being "disingenuous".
Blackman told the Record: "The idea that someone like Kemi Badenoch could soon be the new Prime Minister should concern everyone across these islands.
"Having written to her almost two months ago, challenging her 'disingenuous' comment regarding food banks in my Aberdeen constituency, I've yet to receive a response. That offer is still open.
"That is because Ms Badenoch knows full well that the blame for this nightmare lies squarely with the UK Government who have failed to lift a finger to support families facing the brunt of the crisis.
"However, the problems within the UK government run much deeper than one individual.
"The entire Westminster system is broken beyond repair. Therefore the only way to escape it is to become an independent country, with the full powers needed to regain our place in Europe and build a fair and prosperous future."
Badenoch must secure the votes of 30 Conservative MPs if she is to proceed to the next stage of the party's leadership contest.
She is committed to reducing corporate and personal taxes but told rivals “I will not enter into a tax bidding war over, ‘my tax cuts are bigger than yours’.”
The Record has asked Badenoch's campaign for comment.
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