I’ve had lots of emails in about Job Seekers Allowance and Universal Credit.
Throughout the pandemic, I and my Labour colleagues have continuously called on the Conservative Government to ensure immediate support for any person who needs it.
Our proposals included:
❗ Convert Universal Credit advances into grants instead of loans, ending the five-week wait
❗ Remove the £16,000 savings limit which disqualifies individuals from accessing Universal Credit
❗ Suspend the benefit cap
❗ Abolish the two-child limit in Universal Credit and tax credits
❗ Uprate legacy benefits to match the increase in Universal Credit, providing an immediate increase in Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment Support Allowance
We also strongly oppose the Conservative Government’s intention to remover the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift and earlier this year we forced a vote in the House of Commons to maintain the uplift. The vote was on a Labour motion and was, unfortunately, because of rules governing the debate, non-binding.
The UK Government has not responded effectively to the scale of the crisis, we should do everything we can to prevent families and individuals from sliding further into hardship from which it will be extremely difficult to recover.
Labour will continue to make the case for a reformed social security system and hold the UK Government to account on its failings to provide adequate support.
