Labour would scrap the UK government’s “inhumane” flagship welfare programme, Jeremy Corbyn will announce on Saturday, as he condemns the rollout of universal credit as an “unmitigated disaster”.
The aim of UC is to simplify the welfare system — to help claimants and to cut fraud — and encourage work. But its rollout has been plagued by delays and the policy has been blamed for increasing hardship.
Speaking in Chingford and Woodford Green, the parliamentary constituency of the architect of the policy, Iain Duncan Smith, Mr Corbyn will set out “an emergency package of reforms” that would come into effect under a Labour government.
The current scheme merges six existing benefits, including housing benefit and child tax credits, into one monthly payment. There has been widespread criticism of the long delay facing claimants before they receive their first payment, amid evidence that it forces many into debt. The wait was originally a minimum of six weeks, but has been reduced to five.
The Labour package includes plans to end the benefit cap and the two child limit and replace the five-week waiting time with an “interim payment after two weeks”.
The party had also pledged to suspend sanctions for claimants who miss appointments and scrap the system’s “digital-only” requirement.
Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, responded that it was “totally irresponsible” for Labour to scrap UC without setting out any detail on what would replace it.
“It’s reckless, political point-scoring from a party that spent years trapping people on benefits and holding them back from the opportunities that would help them build a better future for them and their families”, she said.
“This is totally irresponsible from Jeremy Corbyn, who now admits he would happily scrap financial support for vulnerable people with no plan as to what Labour would replace it with.”
Speaking later on Saturday, the Labour leader will say: “Universal credit has been an unmitigated disaster. As well as being behind schedule and overbudget, it is inhumane and cruel, driving people into poverty and hardship.
“Social security is supposed to give people dignity and respect, not punish and police them, make them wait five weeks for the first payment or fill out a four-page form to prove their child was born as a result of rape.
“When a Labour government takes office we will introduce an emergency package of reforms to end the worst aspects of universal credit. We will introduce a new system that will be based on the principles of dignity and respect, and it will alleviate and end poverty, not drive people into it.”
