Scotland’s political parties are ignoring child poverty during the election campaign, the boss of the country’s biggest children’s charity has warned.

Aberlour chief executive SallyAnn Kelly said she found the lack of engagement “disappointing and frustrating.”

According to the most recent official Scottish Government poverty statistics more than 260,000 children are currently living in households below the poverty line.

The figures show that levels have been relatively stable in Scotland.

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The most recent statistics from the DWP showed that across the UK, 4.3 million children, 30% of all UK children, were in poverty - up from 3.6 million in 2010-11.

Figures produced by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition estimated that 54% of Scotland’s 57 Westminster constituencies have at least 25% of children in poverty.

Speaking at a special election hustings for children organised by the charity, Ms Kelly said: “It is difficult to think of a more important issue than the lives and future of our children.

“Child poverty is a national crisis but the failure of parties to seriously engage with the issues during this campaign has been disappointing and frustrating.

“Living in poverty is not a choice for children but our politicians can choose to take effective emergency action to improve their lives.

“It is about priorities and the lives and futures of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children should be everyone’s priority.”

Aberlour, which supports vulnerable children and their families, has called for a “raft of measures to ease the poverty crisis.”

This includes writing off money owed by children for school meals, an amnesty for some debts owed by low-income families, and more effective support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Crucially, the charity also wants to see two-child cap lifted.

The policy brought in by George Osborne means that households claiming child tax credit or universal credit are unable to claim for a third or subsequent child.

However, there is an exemption for families where a third child is the result of “non-consensual conception.”

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While Labour’s manifesto included the promise of an “ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty” there was no mention of the two-child limit.

Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he cannot make “unfunded commitments, unfunded promises.”

Asked about Ms Kelly’s criticisms as he campaigned in West Lothian on Friday, Sir Keir told The Herald: "We do have a plan for child poverty. And it's a very strong plan and a really important plan because as you would expect, a central objective of an incoming Labour Government will be to drive child poverty down.

“I don't want to see child poverty anywhere.

“And therefore we already have plans in place if we are elected to government to deal with the underlying causes, whether that's housing, whether that's secure jobs, the new deal for working people, which will ensure people are protected and better paid here in Scotland in their jobs but across the country, making sure that those in accommodation are properly protected.

“So there are many things that we can start work on straight right away to deal with child poverty because I do understand why it is so important that we drive it down.

“We did it when we were last in government and we will do it again. "

(Image: Gordon Terris)

The SNP's Social Justice spokesperson, and Candidate for Glasgow East, David Linden hit out at Sir Keir.

He said: "The Labour party's very own manifesto figures claim they have headroom of £2.5 billion - the exact amount needed to scrap the Tory two-child cap and yet they are still stubbornly refusing to commit to it.

“The sad truth is that Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party is making a political choice to keep children in poverty.

“Experts have repeatedly said that the two-child limit is a key driver of child poverty in the UK, and the associated rape clause makes women relive traumatic experiences. If their own sums are to be believed, then they have no excuse not to get rid of these deeply damaging policies.

"In stark contrast to the cuts agenda of both the Tories and Labour, the SNP Scottish Government the limited powers it has, even in the face of austerity, Brexit, and a cost of living crisis, to put money back into people's pockets and keep 100,000 children out of poverty with the Scottish Child Payment.

"It's telling that, rather than replicate the policies of the Scottish Government, Labour instead want to copy and paste the policies of the Tories.”

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Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: "With so many Scottish children in poverty, charities like Aberlour are right to press Keir Starmer and others for greater action.

"Liberal Democrats have set out a clear plan for tackling poverty by removing the two child limit and the benefit cap, ensuring that all families can access childcare which is flexible and affordable and restore the full rate of Universal credit for all parents regardless of age."

Scottish Conservative shadow social justice secretary Miles Briggs said:

"One child living in poverty is one too many. For all their warm words, child poverty levels remain stubbornly high on the SNP's watch.

"Their broken promises to eradicate the attainment gap in our schools as well as their savage cuts to council and social housing budgets have all contributed to those high rates.

"We would tackle child poverty by delivering free breakfasts and lunches for primary school pupils, while we continue to urge the SNP to give our cash-strapped councils a fair funding deal to support crucial day-to-day services."