Last week Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham, and 122 other MPs from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, signed an open letter to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, David Gauke, to halt the planned roll-out of Universal Credit to 55 new areas a month from this October.
Now, 12 Conservative MPs, led by Heidi Allen, have joined him and colleagues in calling for these plans to be halted.
Alex said: “Under Universal Credit, the Government is failing to pay one in four claims within their own stated six week period. This is pushing claimants into debt, rental arrears and in some cases, homelessness. Rolling this failing system out to 55 new areas a month when the service is clearly struggling to deal with five, makes no sense. If David Gauke does not wish to take notice of mine and 122 non-Conservative MPs concerns, maybe he will listen to those MPs from his own party and rethink this planned roll-out.”
Universal Credit is due to be rolled out in Stockton North in April 2018. MPs are joined by the Trussel Trust, Citizens Advice Bureau, and landlords’ organisations in calling for the government to pause the roll-out.
