Universal Credit protest held outside Rishi Sunak's Northallerton office
The Unite Union are protesting about plans to scrap the £20 Universal Credit uplift.
Last updated 17th Sep 2021
Unite has demonstrated outside Chancellor Rishi Sunak's constituency office in Northallerton over the decision to axe the Universal Credit £20-a-week uplift.
Unite said the Richmond MP will be known as 'the architect of callousness' if he does not reverse the decision to end the uplift on 6th October.
Unite Community organiser for Yorkshire and the North East Heather Blakey said: "We are now a fortnight away from this devastating cut. Our members, and the many claimants we meet every day, are terrified of how they will make ends meet.
"The cost of living has gone through the roof since the increase was brought in at the start of the pandemic, so if Universal Credit is cut in two weeks, as Rishi Sunak plans, people will not just be back where they were before Covid - they will be much worse off.
"People tell us they will have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their children. They won’t be able to pay the bills. This cut will plunge people already living on the breadline further into poverty. It will also take millions out of our local economies, a double whammy for small businesses and precarious workers already struggling to get by.
"And never forget that two million more people – many of them disabled – living on the old-style benefits who never even got this increase in the first place. They already know how impossible it is to live without the £20-a-week.
"The contrast between the lavish new swimming pool and tennis court for the chancellor’s palatial Grade-11 listed home and some his Richmond constituents making the dreadful decision ‘to eat or heat’ could not be greater – it is a snapshot of two different countries. Such an image makes a mockery of the much-vaunted ‘levelling up’ agenda.
"Unite Community is taking the message right to Rishi Sunak’s door, because he has the power to change this cruel, short-sighted and callous policy. If Rishi Sunak doesn’t act now, he will be remembered as the chancellor responsible for the biggest financial 'hit' to the North and to our poorest families since the war. History will remember him as 'the architect of callousness'"
We contacted the Treasury for a statement, and a Government spokesperson told us: "We’ve always been clear that the uplift to Universal Credit was temporary and designed to help people through the toughest stages of the pandemic. Now as the economy recovers it is right to focus on getting people into work and the economy back on track.
"Our £400bn Plan for Jobs, which has already supported 36,000 jobs in York and 12 million across the UK, is giving people the skills and opportunities they need to get back into work, progress their careers and earn more."
Additional information:
· "Throughout this crisis, the Government has spent over £400bn protecting people’s jobs, livelihoods and supporting businesses and public services. We extended economic support as we continue on the road to recovery, right through to the end of September in order to support those who most need it. That includes unprecedented welfare support.
· "More than £9bn will have been spent on the Universal Credit uplift by the time it ends in September. It is right that economic support is wound down as we come out of this crisis and we focus on helping people back into work, and supporting people to progress in work.
· "Children in households where every adult is working are around five times less likely to be in poverty than households where nobody works. That is why our focus now is on our multi-billion pound Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.
· "We also have a comprehensive childcare offer in place for working parents, as well as further help in place for families with the cost of living - including by maintaining nearly £1 billion of additional housing support through Local Housing Allowance rates."