Universal basic income could come to Scotland, says Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland could introduce a universal basic income (UBI) that would guarantee a weekly payment of £150 to every citizen for life.

Unveiling the SNP's "Programme for Government", Sturgeon said she would be working with local councils to fund trial schemes that would "inform parliament’s thinking for the future".

Formerly a fringe idea favoured by left-wing economists in the US, "the idea of a basic income has gained traction in recent years as fears grow over depressed wage growth and the rise of automation", says The Scotsman.

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The system, which rolls benefits such as the dole and housing into one lump sum for every citizen regardless of their financial situation, "has been championed as a method to do away with the UK’s welfare system", says The Independent - but critics argue that it would be costly and encourage people to work less.

UBI has long been official party policy of the Scottish Greens. Under their proposals, pensioners would get £150 a week, while working adults would get £100. Everyone under 16 would get £50.

A pilot project is currently underway in Finland, with two thousand people receiving €560 (£473) a month for two years, irrespective of whether they are in employment or not. Ministers say this has led to a fall in poverty and stress levels.

However, a nationwide roll-out in Scotland might be hard to implement because Holyrood does not have full powers over social security, benefits and taxes, meaning MSPs "do not have the legal teeth to bring in a UBI scheme", says The Independent.