TORIES FACE GROWING BACKLASH OVER CALLOUS UNIVERSAL CREDIT
CUTS
SNP DEMAND CHANCELLOR MAKES "INEVITABLE" U-TURN TO PROTECT INCOMES
The Tory government is facing a growing backlash over its plans to cut
Universal Credit for six million people - after Tory MPs abstained in a vote in
Parliament last night, including every single Scottish Tory MP.
Anti-poverty charities have spoken out. Helen Barnard, Director of the Joseph
Rowntree Foundation, said the "incredibly tough situation millions are now
facing" will be made worse by dithering, warning “delaying the decision on
the future of the Universal Credit uplift leaves families facing crippling
uncertainty". The Poverty Alliance tweeted: "Keep the £20 increase in
Universal Credit, extend it to legacy benefits, and protect people from
poverty. In a compassionate country like ours, this is just the right thing to
do."
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: "In
dodging a decision on the universal credit uplift the Government today failed
to provide that security and certainty. The £20 uplift has acted as a
stabiliser for millions of families forced on to universal credit by
coronavirus. If it is not retained and extended to all legacy benefit
claimants, struggle will turn to real hardship for many more families – at the
bleakest point - and more children will show up in the poverty statistics. That
would not easily be forgiven by millions of households".
In a new report, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said: "They ought to
resolve the uncertainty one way or another as soon as possible. The sums here
are significant: £20 per week represents 13% of an average recipient’s UC
entitlement, and for some families the figure will be as high as 21%. Waiting
until the March Budget creates uncertainty and will make it difficult for
low-income families to plan. A family currently deciding where they can afford
to rent, for example, surely ought to know what their benefit entitlement will
be in three months’ time."
Commenting, SNP Equalities spokesperson Anne McLaughlin MP said:
"It is callous and indefensible for the Tory government to slash the
incomes of six million people in the middle of an economic crisis and global
pandemic. It is no wonder the Tories are facing a growing backlash from
families and anti-poverty charities.
"If the Tories go ahead with these cuts it would push millions of people
into hardship and poverty at the worst possible time. It is surely inevitable
there will be a U-turn. The Chancellor must get on with it to give households
the certainty they need to budget for their rent and bills. People need to know
they will not face a cliff edge as a result of Tory dithering.
"The fact that the Tories are even considering cutting people's incomes
shows they cannot be trusted to stand up for families in Scotland. The £20
uplift to Universal Credit must be made permanent and extended to legacy
benefits, as part of a wider package to boost incomes and mitigate the damage
done by a decade of Tory cuts. Another short extension isn't good enough.
"The SNP government has led the way in tackling poverty, with new benefits
like the Scottish Child Payment, but this progress is being severely undermined
by Tory cuts that have taken money out of people's pockets.
"Scotland shouldn't have to wait for Westminster to act. The only way to
secure a strong, fair and equal recovery is for Scotland to become an
independent country - with the full powers needed to build a fairer
society."
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
Child Poverty Action Group response: https://twitter.com/CPAGUK/status/1351275400941481986?s=20
Joseph Rowntree Foundation response: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/how-mps-voted-ending-planned-23342086
Poverty Alliance response: https://twitter.com/PovertyAlliance/status/1351430393086566401?s=20
IFS report: https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/15266
