Skinflint scumbag 'nasty party' to attack poor again !!!

The bastards in the scumbag 'nasty party' are about to launch a cut in the level of Universal Credit by £20.00 per week.


Labour to force vote on government’s £1,000-a-year Universal Credit cut
MPs will be tested on their support for those in need

Jon Stone
Policy Correspondent
@joncstone
7 hours ago

Labour is to force a vote in parliament on the government's plans to cut benefit payments by as much as £1,000 a year.

Boris Johnson on Wednesday confirmed he would push ahead with plans to slash £20 a week from universal credit in April, a cut which will affect six million families.

The government boosted payments for people in need near the start of the pandemic, but the temporary rise is set to lapse, potentially pushing 200,000 children into poverty.

The Child Poverty Action Group has said that the £20 uplift must be kept to ensure that “low-income families with children receive the support they need”.

Keir Starmer's party announced on Thursday that it would use an opposition day motion on Monday to force Mr Johnson's MPs to choose whether they support the policy.
It comes as the opposition urges Boris Johnson to "trust" families on free school meals with cash payments while children are at home, instead of providing food parcels.

The call follows controversy about inadequate parcels put together by private contractors, images of which have been widely shared on social media.

“Children going hungry while schools are closed to most children, has been yet another failing of a Government that keeps letting families down," said Jonathan Reynolds, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

"Our social security system should be a safety net but it has far too many holes in it.

“Giving cash directly to families would support parents in making the best choices on how to look after their children during an unprecedented crisis.”

Shadow education secretary Kate Green added: “The government should put its trust in parents by give them the money for free school meals to ensure their children are not going hungry.”

Commenting on Monday's vote, Mr Reynolds said: “Under the Conservatives, families come last.

"The government’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic means Britain is facing one of the worst recessions of any major economy.


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"Boris Johnson’s decision to cut universal credit will hit millions of families who are already struggling to get by.

“There cannot be another repeat of the government’s indecision and mismanagement of the free school meals scandal. The government must put families first during this lockdown and act now instead of waiting until the last minute.

“If ministers refuse, Conservative MPs have to opportunity to vote with Labour and give families the support they need to get through this pandemic.”

 

Now, because the Labour opposition are challenging them on their policy reversal, Boris is telling his MPs to abstain from the vote.

If he does, and if those scumbag 'nasty party' MPs do abstain, we'll know precisely what kind of bastards they are and they will NEVER be able to live that decision down, it will hang around their necks like a ton weight, because I will NEVER let them or their constituents forget !!!


PM telling MPs to abstain from Universal Credit vote is ‘pathetic’, Starmer says

PA
Jan 18th 2021 5:49AM
Sir Keir Starmer has called Boris Johnson "pathetic" for ordering Conservative MPs to abstain from a vote on extending a £20 weekly rise in Universal Credit, and said that "in their heart of hearts" Tories would back Labour's move.

The Prime Minister was working to lessen the scale of a potential revolt from his within his own party as Labour uses an opposition day debate in the Commons on Monday to force a vote calling on the Government not to end the uplift, worth £1,000 a year.

Mr Johnson was also facing pressure from the 65 Conservative MPs in the Northern Research Group (NRG) who said ending the increase in April as planned would be "devastating".

This Tory government's irresponsible decision-making has caused the worst recession of any major economy.

Right now, six million families rely on Universal Credit to get by.

Today, this government must #CancelTheCuthttps://t.co/tDUpafnMHA

— Rachel Reeves (@RachelReevesMP) January 18, 2021

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi derided Labour's symbolic move as a "political stunt", and the Prime Minister told Conservatives in a WhatsApp message to miss the vote and accused Labour of "playing politics" with "legislatively vacuous opposition debates".

But the Labour leader told ITV's Lorraine: "If he's going to call it a stunt he (Mr Johnson) should probably come with me to a food distribution centre to see these families this morning and explain to them what is a lifeline to them is a stunt, because it certainly isn't from their point of view.

"I actually think in their heart of hearts quite a lot of Tory MPs know that cutting this money to people who desperately need it in the middle of a pandemic is the wrong thing to do, they know that, they probably want to vote with us but because of the tribal way we do politics, they can't.

Tomorrow, the Conservatives can do the right thing and vote with Labour to #CancelTheCut to Universal Credit.

Their cut will cost six million families £1,000 a year and push 200,000 children into poverty.

It's the worst possible time to strip support from families who need it.

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 17, 2021

"The Prime Minister's now saying in answer to the question: 'do you think this uplift should stay or not?' he's saying: 'I don't want to say yes and I don't want to say no, so we're going to abstain.' He's got no view on whether it should stay or not – that's pretty pathetic."

In a statement on behalf of the NRG, Carlisle MP John Stevenson said the Universal Credit increase had been a "life-saver" for people through the pandemic.

"That is why the NRG are once again calling on the Chancellor to extend the Universal Credit uplift until restrictions are lifted, to ensure that individuals and families who have been worst affected by this pandemic are supported through our recovery with the security they need," he added.

The Government temporarily increased the benefit to help families through the Covid crisis, but the uplift is due to expire in April, potentially hitting the incomes of six million families.


The vote would not be binding on the Government, but is being forced by Labour to demonstrate the strength of feeling over the cut in the Commons.

Labour's motion states: "This House believes that the Government should stop the planned cut in Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit in April and give certainty today to the six million families for whom it is worth an extra £1,000 a year."

Mr Zahawi told Sky News: "This debate today has no real impact on the outcome on those families, other than a political little stunt for Labour."

The Government is also facing pressure from charities to keep the uplift, with Action For Children saying the case against cutting it "couldn't be clearer" with unemployment set to peak in the summer.

Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan said the Government must make the £20-a-week increase permanent to "help stop hundreds of thousands of people falling into poverty".

In a statement released by the Conservatives, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said Labour would "scrap Universal Credit" and "leave millions of people with an uncertain future".

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— Barnardo's (@barnardos) January 16, 2021

"This Conservative Government has consistently stepped up to support low income families and the most vulnerable in society throughout this pandemic, and will continue to do so," she added.

The debate comes amid a warning from the Resolution Foundation that scrapping the £20 a week uplift will lead to a particularly tough 2021 for low-income households, whose incomes could fall by 4%.

The think tank estimated that the withdrawal of the benefit increase would drive up relative poverty from 21% to 23% by 2024-25, pushing a further 730,000 children into poverty.

Karl Handscomb, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: "The living standards outlook for 2021 looks bleak at present – but the Government can directly improve it.

"Deciding if the £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit should be extended will determine whether millions of households are able to enjoy any sort of living standards recovery next year.

"And looking further ahead, the decision on whether to keep the UC boost will help define whether this is to be a parliament of 'levelling up' living standards, or pushing up poverty."

 

Even though it was a non-binding resolution, apart from six '[nasty party' MPs with the courage to vote against Boris, the vast majority obeyed Boris's instruction and abstained. Such abstention will not save them !!! - I, and many others will remember this and will, therefore continually remind people of their contempt for the poor and underpriviledged !!!


PM fails to offer guarantees over future of weekly £20 Universal Credit rise

PA
Jan 18th 2021 3:20PM
Boris Johnson has refused to guarantee he will not end the £20 weekly rise in Universal Credit in April, as he suffered a backbench MP rebellion supporting an extension.

The Prime Minister defended the extra support during the coronavirus pandemic but did not say whether the rise worth £1,000 a year to families would be extended beyond the end of March.

Labour's non-binding motion pressing the Government to maintain the increase was approved by 278 votes to zero, majority 278, after Mr Johnson ordered his MPs to abstain.

Six Conservative MPs rebelled to support the motion, including senior Tories Stephen Crabb and Robert Halfon.

Former work and pensions secretary Mr Crabb, rebelling for the first time against the party whip, said the weekly rise should be kept for a further 12 months in order to give people "certainty" over their finances.

Sir Keir Starmer called Mr Johnson "pathetic" for telling Tories not to vote on the motion and said that "in their heart of hearts", Conservative MPs would back Labour's move.

Downing Street insisted no decision has been made on whether to keep or scrap the increase, and said Chancellor Rishi Sunak will update the public on the Government's plans "shortly".

Mr Johnson repeatedly declined to state whether or not the increase will be extended when questioned during a visit to Oxfordshire.

"What we have said is we will put our arms around the whole of the country throughout the pandemic," the Prime Minister told reporters.

"We have already done £280 billion worth of support and we will keep all measures under constant review."

It's the policy of the opposition to abolish Universal Credit altogether, which I don't think is a sensible way forward

Boris Johnson
He added: "It's the policy of the opposition to abolish Universal Credit altogether, which I don't think is a sensible way forward."

The Prime Minister was also facing pressure from the 65 Conservative MPs in the Northern Research Group (NRG), who said ending the increase would be "devastating".

Mr Crabb praised Mr Sunak's "historic" financial support policies during the pandemic but told the Commons: "The question for us right now is whether at the end of March this year, just 10 weeks away, it's the right time to begin unwinding this support – specifically to remove the extra support for Universal Credit claimants – and I don't believe it is the right moment."

Mr Crabb said the extra £20 a week has helped those "right at the bottom of the income scale", adding: "The truth is the labour market is a horrible place right now for many people.

"Opportunities for people to find new work, increase their hours, boost their earnings, improve their family finances have been massively curtailed by the economic impact of the public health emergency, and that's the context for this discussion about cutting back the £20 per week uplift.

"It's why I believe the uplift is so important right now and it's why I believe it needs to be extended for a further 12 months."

Conservative MP Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness) added: "I'm glad to stand with my colleagues in the Northern Research Group when we say that now is not the time to consider any reduction in the uplift in Universal Credit."


Will Quince said ministers will wait for more clarity (PA)
For the Government, Work and pensions minister Will Quince said it is right to wait for more clarity on the national economic picture before assessing the best way to support low-income families.

He said: "I have sympathy with the argument that it would give claimants certainty. However, one of the evident features of a pandemic is uncertainty.

"If (shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds) is certain about what the economic and social picture will look like in April, well, to be frank, he must have a crystal ball.

"The reality is we simply do not know what the landscape will look like and that is why it's right that we wait for more clarity on the national economic and social picture before assessing the best way to support low-income families moving forward."

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi earlier derided Labour's symbolic move as a "political stunt" and Mr Johnson told Conservatives in a WhatsApp message to miss the vote as he accused Labour of "playing politics" with "legislatively vacuous opposition debates".

The Government temporarily increased the benefit to help families through the Covid crisis but the uplift is due to expire in April, potentially hitting the incomes of six million families.

The Resolution Foundation warned that scrapping the £20-a-week uplift will lead to a particularly tough 2021 for low-income households, whose incomes could fall by 4%.

The think tank estimated that the withdrawal of the benefit increase would drive up relative poverty from 21% to 23% by 2024-25, pushing a further 730,000 children into poverty.