First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland unite to call on Westminster Government to 'do the right thing' by reversing its decision to withdraw the £20 universal credit uplift

Prime Minister urged to consider the moral, social and economic harms of the cut that is being made just as the country is facing a significant cost-of-living crisis

The First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have united to call on the Westminster Government to 'do the right thing' by reversing the decision to withdraw the £20 a week uplift to universal credit.

With 6 million people across the UK expected to be impacted by the cut that comes into effect later this week, the three First Ministers have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urge him to consider the moral, social and economic harms of the cut -

'Your government is withdrawing this lifeline just as the country is facing a significant cost-of-living crisis. This winter millions of people are facing an untenable combination of increases to the cost of food and energy, rising inflation, the end of the furlough scheme, and an imminent hike to National Insurance contributions.

There is no rationale for cutting such crucial support at a point when people across the UK are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their household budgets ...'

While noting the government's announcement last week of a new Household Support Fund, the letter says -

'Unfortunately, a £500 million fund handed out on a discretionary basis is wholly inadequate to making up the £6 billion shortfall in social security expenditure that will result from the cut to universal credit.'

In addition, highlighting that the government has repeatedly refused to conduct any impact analysis on the 'biggest overnight reduction to the basic rate of social security for more than 70 years', the letter says -

'Research by the Resolution Foundation and the Trussell Trust has highlighted the significant and devastating impact the cliff-edge withdrawal of the £20-a-week uplift to universal credit will have on family incomes, with an associated rise in food insecurity. The Legatum Institute has produced sobering analysis highlighting that the £20-per-week uplift has kept 840,000 people, including 290,000 children, out of poverty in Q2 of 2021. It makes no sense at all to knowingly pursue a policy that will result in this immense and needless rise in child poverty and we ask you to consider the lasting harm and costs of this cut accordingly.

It is important to note that this will increase poverty and hardship without delivering any tangible social or economic benefits. The UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights said – when calling upon you to reverse this cut – that for a healthy and well-qualified workforce to emerge, your government must provide adequate levels of social protection. Years of a freeze on benefits means universal credit has not kept pace with rising living costs. Further to this, rising inflation means that a basic rate of universal credit after this cut will hold less purchasing power than it did in March 2020.'

For more information, see First Ministers unite to demand Prime Minister reverses Universal Credit cut.