War on the vulnerable: Surge in EU citizens unfairly refused access to universal credit
Hostile environment: Nigel Farage had a poster created, stirring up hatred against immigrants. He was only tapping into government policy since 2010, when the current ‘hostile environment’ policy was launched by the Conservatives.
Did you know that 16 million apples have rotted away this year because the migrant workers from the EU who used to come and pick them haven’t bothered to turn up?
The reason? Well, it might be Brexit – but it’s more likely to be because they can’t get Universal Credit because of the Tories’ “hostile environment” policy.
The issue was raised in Prime Minister’s Questions today (October 23) by Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds. He said: “The National Farmers Union reported this week that 16 million apples have rotted away, because the immigrant workers that normally pick them for the country have chosen not to come.
“Immigration was clearly a big part of the EU referendum, and the Prime Minister has promised a points-based system, but that is not going to allow for people coming here to pick fruit. What does he intend to do to stop the scandal of British food rotting away in the fields?”
BoJob blathered some nonsense about there being “more EU nationals living and working in this country than ever before”.
Oh, really?
What about this, then? Read:
EU citizens are being made homeless and destitute after being turned down for universal credit despite having the legal right to reside in the UK, in what critics are calling the benefit system’s very own “hostile environment”.
Ministers are being urged to review “unfair practices” after law centres and welfare advisers reported a surge in cases in which EU nationals without UK citizenship have ended up in debt or sleeping rough because of incorrect decisions to refuse their application for universal credit that cut off their benefits overnight.
Claimants who challenge the decision typically have to wait up to 40 weeks for an appeal hearing. Welfare advisers say they win their the appeal in almost all cases, resulting in back payments of thousands of pounds.
I should remind readers that, by agreement, EU migrants who claim benefits in the UK have them paid by their own government; the UK government charges their country for the cost.
So there is no reason for the UK to deny benefits to these people, if their earnings are so low (Tory policy is to depress wages for the lowest-paid, remember) that they cannot afford to live.
Still, this is the situation: EU migrant workers are being forced into destitution because of Tory government policy not to pay their benefits – on the grounds that they are not habitually resident in the UK.
Is it any wonder they can’t be bothered to pick our rotten apples?
Source: Surge in EU citizens unfairly refused access to universal credit | Society | The Guardian
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Well why don’t you employ British workers to pick your bloody apples? We all know why it’s because you don’t want to pay a decent wage to british workers because immigrants will work for less and because they share a house between many of them , it makes the rent accessible to them. and then what money they do have, they send money back to their family abroad. Some farms offer very shabby but very cheap accommodation which also comes out of their wages. You farmers have had it too good for too long, being able to get away with this scandalous behaviour! I remember my mum and many other kids mums, picking fruit, and hoeing the fields etc. There are lots and lots of unemployed people who WOULD work . So don’t say they won’t. If they don’t it’s because the wages you offer are not enough for a british person to live on. Stop
Well said.