Benefit cuts under universal credit could be illegal, says Labour
Seeking legal advice: Owen Smith, shadow work and pensions secretary.
Labour is taking advice from lawyers on whether benefit cuts under universal credit are illegal, raising the possibility that the new welfare system could be challenged in court.
Owen Smith, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said it was discriminatory that a single mother working full time on the minimum wage could be almost £3,000 worse off under universal credit than a mother in precisely the same circumstances on tax credits.
“Those lucky enough to stay on tax credits will be massively better off than those on universal credit … That disparity cannot be fair, it cannot be right and it may not even be legal, and we are seeking advice as to the legality of that move,” he said.
In the autumn statement, George Osborne abandoned plans to cut tax credits affecting millions of working families, under pressure from the opposition and many Tory MPs.
However, Labour has pointed out that there will be much lower in-work benefit payments for new claimants put on universal credit – the system championed by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith that rolls at least six different benefits into one.
Source: Benefit cuts under universal credit could be illegal, says Labour | Society | The Guardian
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
think about this.!!!!
claimants of universal benefits will be obliged to use the internet.
This effectively means access to the internet and paying for Broadband???.
more importantly they will have to use internet banking and add financial details online against their will.
IS THIS A CONTRAVENTION OF CLAIMANT’S HUMAN RIGHTS?
Refreshing that something is actually being done to at least consider the merits of mounting a legal challenge to yet another Cons trick.
Really glad we now have an effective opposition and a leader unafraid of tackling the Tories on these Draconian policies being forced through on the snide by the Tories. I hope the legal advice Labour is seeking comes back that this can be challenged, we simply cannot continue allowing this brutal government to get away with treating our most vulnerable people with utter filthy contempt. Enough is enough, we must act – all of us!
What do they mean they could be, they are doing it, all that the tories are doing is illegal!
they want to escape from accountability by blaming the EU. The EU is not responsible for immorality of the tory party.
remember this when you vote in the pending EU referendum.