More than half the country wants chancellor to continue permanently with the £20-a-week uplift in
Universal Credit (UC) due to end in April 2021, according to a
survey carried out for Unite the union, as millions face a
descent into poverty.
The survey carried out by Survation revealed that 54 per cent of
those polled wanted the £20 boost to Universal Credit, already
claimed by six million people in the UK, to be extended beyond
next April.
The survey shows that 40 per cent of Conservative supporters back
the uplift, with 70 per cent of Labour supporters in favour of
the increase. The widespread public mood to hold back ‘poverty’
is further reinforced with 51 per cent of those earning £40,000
and over annually also supportive of the rise being made
permanent.
The survey follows hard on the heels of reports by the Joseph
Rowntree Foundation and the Fabian Society on the threats of
destitution and poverty for millions of people, as the pandemic
continues to take its toll on the UK economy and jobs.
Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said that the UK had
long had one of the weakest welfare safety nets in Europe which
had been cruelly exposed by the pandemic – and it would be
morally and financially repugnant to end the £20 uplift.
Today (Wednesday 9 December), Unite steps up its campaign to
galvanise nationwide support, which includes asking councils to
lobby and the prime minister demanding that the £20 increase to Universal Credit
is made permanent and extended to claimants on legacy benefits.
Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner
said: “If presses ahead with slashing Universal Credit in April,
we will see state support fall to its lowest real-terms level
since 1990-91, its lowest ever level relative to average
earnings.
“The basic level of out-of-work support prior to the
March boost was – at just £73 a week (£3,800 a year) – less than
half the absolute poverty line. People are being asked to get by
on a tenner a day.
“With savage and heart-breaking rising unemployment,
some six million people in this country rely on Universal Credit.
The £20 uplift may seem like pennies to the government, but it is
literally the difference between turning the heating on or buying
a warm coat for the kids for millions.
"Snatching back this cash will be cruel in the
extreme - and will certainly offend the voting
public.
“The IMF and World Bank both warn this is not the
time for governments to attack the incomes of the poorest and
that to do so would be to imperil recovery.
"We are urging the chancellor to make Christmas for
the poorest families by saying that the £20 uplift will stay
beyond next April. Just do the decent thing and give them this
small income security.
“This Survation survey provides further strong
evidence as why we’re asking Unite members stand in solidarity
and to call on councillors and others to join us in a coalition
to force the government to retain the £20 increase, end the
waiting time and extend payment to all legacy
benefits.
“What Covid-19 has cruelly exposed is the inadequacy
of the current welfare system, one of the meanest in Europe, and
the entrenched inequalities for some of the country’s most
vulnerable and disadvantaged families.
“The permanent uplift of £20-a-week would be a small
step in easing the already immense burden of thousands of people
struggling financially to pay for the essentials of life on a
daily basis.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Survation survey was conducted 4-8 December 2020.
Link to survey results:
The survey was conducted via online interview. Invitations to
complete the survey were sent out to members of the panel.
Different response rates from different demographic groups were
taken into account.
Sample size: 2,831 residents aged 18+ living in the UK
-:-
The link below outlines the number of Universal Credit households
for each local authority area across the UK (except Northern
Ireland).
The details of the Unite campaign can be accessed by the link
below:
