The prime minister was under pressure from Conservative MPs in the north of England to extend the "life-saver" Universal Credit £20 weekly increase before the Commons vote yesterday evening.
The Northern Research Group, which Barrow MP Simon Fell is a part of, was urging the chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend this past March 31 – when the temporary boost is currently set to end – so that families in the North do not struggle in difficult times with coronavirus.
Speaking on behalf of the NRG, Carlisle MP John Stevenson said: “The £1,000 uplift to Universal Credit has been a real life-saver for people throughout this pandemic.
"To end it now would be devastating for the six million individuals and families who are already struggling to stay afloat.
“Equally, replacing the current system with a £500 one-off payment, which is half the amount people have been receiving and would exclude the estimated 800,000 people expected to become unemployed in the second quarter of 2021 after the job retention scheme stops, will not be sufficient.
"It would see many people falling through the gaps and would damage our economic recovery.
“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."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the £20 Universal Credit increase "has been the difference between making ends meet or not for many, many families."
He said it was a "completely false point" for the Tories to attack him for suggesting the increase should be maintained while also calling for Universal Credit to be scrapped and replaced in the long-term.
Simon Fell, MP for Barrow, said: "The Universal Credit uplift has been a lifeline to so many people, whether they used UC before the pandemic or have started since.
"It exists to help people who are just about managing and while we're still being stretched by Covid, it should stay.
"It is one way of ensuring that the disadvantages in a community like ours aren't compounded by this virus."
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