Committees at the UK s four parliaments have joined together to urge the UK not to ditch the £20 per week increase in Universal Credit brought in during the coronavirus pandemic.
The conveners of committees at Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and the Senedd have jointly written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey on the issue.
The Government has insisted that the extra £20 is a short-term measure ending in October. However, the committees said they hoped London would take seriously our view that the uplift should be extended . Labour s Stephen Timms at Westminster, the SNP s Neil Gray for Holyrood, Paula Bradley of the DUP for Stormont and Welsh Labour s Jenny Rathbone at the Senedd in Cardiff argue the increase in Universal Credit payments has been a lifeline for millions of families, saving them from being impoverished .
Universal Credit £20 uplift should be made permanent say UK parliaments
The Tory Government has been blasted for resisting a change backed by anti-poverty campaigners
04:30, 21 JUL 2021
The £20 uplift has been a huge help to families (Image: Getty)
Get the latest money news from the Daily Record with our weekly newsletterInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Subscribe
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.More info
Thank you for subscribingWe have more newslettersShow meSee ourprivacy notice
Holyrood, Westminster, Stormont and Senedd urge UK Government to keep £20 Universal Credit uplift
Updated: July 21, 2021, 8:15 am
The £20 Universal Credit uplift is due to be removed in October
Politicians from Holyrood, Westminster, the Northern Irish Assembly and the Welsh Senedd have come together to pen a letter to the UK Government, urging it to make the £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit permanent.
However earlier this month it was confirmed this will be taken away in October.
Six million to lose hundreds overnight
The letter is addressed to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey, and says there is an estimated 6 million people claiming Universal Credit who will lose £1,040 in annual income overnight.
BBC News
By Nick Eardley
image copyrightPA
The £20 a week increase in Universal Credit should be permanent, according to senior politicians from across the UK.
In a letter, the chairs of four welfare committees from around the UK say removing the temporary top-up would affect families on the lowest incomes.
And sources have also told the BBC that Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey supported keeping the uplift.
The government insists the extra £20 is a short-term measure ending in October.
The letter calling for the top-up to be made permanent was signed by the chairs of committees at Westminster, the Scottish Parliament, Senedd in Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly.
Universal Credit claimants could lose £1,040 in annual income overnight liverpoolecho.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from liverpoolecho.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.