Stephen Morgan MP has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP, urging him to not cut Universal Credit by £20 per week, or £1,000 a year. The cut is understood to begin in April, 2021.
This comes ahead of the government announcement of its spending review, with £2.1 billion of public money wasted on Covid-related procurement and outsourced contracts and almost £700 million on coveralls that were never used.
The government has been asked 40 times to rule of the change to Universal Credit, but Government representatives have refused to commit to ruling out the cut.
The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, said:
“This crisis has put families both here in Portsmouth and across the country under immense financial pressure.
For a lot of families, Universal Credit has been a lifeline and many of which are reliant on this money to get them through this crisis. It is why a cut to it by as much as £20 a week, or £1,000 a year, is simply is unthinkable and I urge the Chancellor to reconsider.”
In Portsmouth South alone, there are 11457 on Universal Credit, including 9273 households in the area dependent on the welfare support system.
Mr Morgan, added:
“Sadly, we have many families in our community who are reliant on Universal Credit and it’s vital the Government does not once again resort to austerity cuts at a time when families need this support more than ever.”
The Portsmouth South MP has frequently urged the Chancellor to provide greater support for the most vulnerable in the community during this period, including on providing a government settlement which works for Portsmouth.
