Poverty charity responds to Opposition Day Debate on £20 uplift to Universal Credit

National poverty charity responds to the outcome of the Opposition Day Debate on the £20 uplift to Universal Credit and Tax Credits.

Thomas Lawson, Chief Executive of national poverty charity Turn2us, said:

"Today’s debate has not brought us closer to whether the £20 universal credit uplift will be maintained. The uncertainty that this hardwires in to people’s futures creates real debilitating stress about whether they will be able to keep themselves and their families afloat. Without this commitment we will consign hundreds of thousands of people on low incomes to unmanageable financial hardship.

"Over recent months, people directly affected by this policy, charities, think tanks, and other experts, have all come together to urge the treasury to do the right thing. There have been reams of evidence that shows how hundreds of thousands of people, including many children, will be pulled into poverty if the uplift is taken away.

"We cannot leave members of our society to be pushed into a downward spiral of financial hardship; and we urge our Prime Minister to heed this message and secure in place this vital lifeline for those of us who so desperately need it.”