'The Government is morally wrong to create uncertainty around Universal Credit'
18 January 2021, 18:22
'Morally wrong' of Govt to create uncertainty around Universal Credit
This is the moment the Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation accused the Government of being "morally wrong" for creating "uncertainty" around Universal Credit.
Helen Barnard made the remark while speaking to LBC's Eddie Mair about the impact of financial support as MPs debate whether the £20 increase in Universal Credit will stop at the end of March.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure to extend the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit.
Mr Johnson has faced calls to extend the uplift from Tory MPs as the Northern Research Group (NRG) said ending it now would be "devastating".
Caller bereft as she receives £39 per month on Universal Credit
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation told Eddie: "Last year we saw the number of people of Universal Credit nearly double."
She then said Universal Credit "has really been the lifeline that has kept millions of people afloat" and that the Government's indecision over whether or not to extend it is "morally wrong".
Keir Starmer attacks Tories over Universal Credit cap
"It's extraordinary isn't it that you could think it's OK to wait until the first week in March to tell millions of people if they're income is going to plummet by £1,000-a-year at the end of March," she also said.
She also said the Government leaving the decision of whether or not to extend the Universal Credit uplift to the "eleventh hour" was "morally wrong".
