The SNP candidate vying to become the next MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West has pledged to table plans to abolish the two-child benefit cap and rape clause within the first 100 days of becoming elected.

The controversial policy, introduced by the UK Government and supported by Labour, could impact as many as 1,620 children in Rutherglen and Hamilton West - and 80,936 children across Scotland, according to analysis.

SNP candidate Katy Loudon has said that if Scottish Labour is serious about tackling child poverty, it will have "no reservations" about publicly backing her potential bill.

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It comes as the SNP has published new research, commissioned from the House of Commons Library, which shows scrapping the two child benefit cap and the bedroom tax would cost a fraction of the £12billion Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has ruled out raising by taxing the wealthy to fund cost-of-living support for families.

Last week, Ms Reeves claimed that she doesn’t “have any spending plans that require us to raise £12 billion”.

She added: “So I don’t need a wealth tax or any of those things”.

Previously Ms Reeves claimed she couldn't scrap the two child cap or the bedroom tax because "it's not something at the moment we have the finances to afford to be able to do."

The cost of scrapping both policies is estimated to be between £1.85billion and £2.7billion for 2023/24.

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Ms Loudon said: "Within the first 100 days of becoming an MP, I pledge to introduce a Private Members Bill to abolish the abhorrent two-child benefit cap and rape clause.

"This is a simple, yet crucial, act that would show constituents that I am willing to not only stand up for them, but protect the most vulnerable in our society.”

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She added: “If the Labour party in Scotland is serious about tackling child poverty they should have no reservations about publicly backing my plans to introduce this bill as an MP.

"Voters in Rutherglen and Hamilton West must be in no doubt that a vote for the SNP is a vote to reject cruel Westminster policies like the two-child cap, tackle the cost of living crisis, and deliver an MP who only answers to their constituents in Scotland - not Westminster."