More than 3 million new claims for universal credit have been made since start of coronavirus lockdown

New DWP statistics also highlight that more than 100,000 claims were made in the last week, an increase of 7 per cent on the previous week

More than 3 million new claims for universal credit have been made since the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown began on 16 March 2020, according to the latest management information from the DWP.

In Universal Credit management information tables: 1 March to 9 June 2020, the DWP highlights that, between 16 March 2020 and 9 June 2020, there were 3,238,180 individual declarations for universal credit, of which 102,940 were made in the last week - an increase of 7 per cent on the previous week - 

NB - the DWP advises that a 'declaration' is made where an individual or household provides information on their personal circumstances to begin a universal credit claim - not all declarations will go on to receive a payment.

Over the same period, the figures show that a total of 977,680 advance payments were awarded on new claims.

Universal Credit management information tables: 1 March to 9 June 2020 is available from gov.uk