THE Tories and Labour have been accused of “ripping workers off” after research showed employees are £11,000 worse off per year after 15 years of wage stagnation.
Figures from the Resolution Foundation think tank also show typical UK household incomes are falling further behind neighbouring European countries – with families in Germany now £4000 better off thank those in the UK, compared to £500 in 2008.
The SNP has said the Westminster parties have set the UK on a path to long-term decline with Brexit and a “harmful obsession with cuts”.
The party’s social justice spokesperson, David Linden, said: "The Tories and pro-cuts, pro-Brexit Labour Party have trashed the UK economy and they are ripping workers off as household incomes fall behind.
"The devastating long-term damage being caused by Brexit, Westminster cuts and economic mismanagement shows exactly why Scotland needs independence, so we can escape Westminster control and build a strong, fair and prosperous economy.
"At the UK budget, the SNP was the only party calling for real change to boost incomes and create sustained economic growth - but our calls to rejoin the EU, increase public sector pay by inflation, and cut energy bills were rejected by the Tories and Labour Party.
"The Westminster parties have set the UK on the path to long-term decline with Brexit and their harmful obsession with cuts. With the Labour Party little more than a pound-shop Tory tribute, act under Keir Starmer, it's clear there is no change on offer at Westminster.”
It comes as Ipsos MORI polling of more than 6000 adults suggests two-thirds of those surveyed think the UK economy is going to get worse in the year ahead.
The polling also found one in four people are struggling on their current income and nearly half are worried about their financial situation.
Following the UK Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned households face the biggest fall in living standards since records began, with real household disposable income expected to fall by 6% between 2022/23 and 2023/24, and families worse off by 2027/28 than they were in 2019.
The OBR also warned Brexit is forecast to deal a 4% hit to UK GDP, with UK imports and exports 15 per cent lower than if the UK had remained in the EU.
The Resolution Foundation calculated that had wages continued to grow as they were before the financial crash of 2008, the average worker would make £11,000 more per year than they do now, taking rising prices into account.
Linden added: "The SNP will continue to press for immediate action to boost incomes, and deliver progressive policies like the Scottish Child Payment - but Scotland needs the full powers of independence to escape Brexit and secure real change."
