Stop Xmas pain protest

Today (Wednesday November 29) Labour MPs joined Unite Community members to call on the government to stop and fix the problems with Universal Credit before rolling it out any further across the UK.

Christmas will be cancelled for thousands of families claiming the government’s new all-in-one benefit Universal Credit as they’re forced to use food banks and struggle to heat their homes or even face eviction because of the long wait for money to come through.

There was carol singing with songs taken from the Christmas crisis carol song book, written by Unite Community members. Each song has the words changed to highlight the despair of people claiming benefits over the Christmas period.

“Despite knowing that Universal Credit causes serious problems for those claiming it the government is ploughing ahead with rolling it out regardless,” said Liane Groves head of Unite Community.

“Desperate claimants are descending into debt, relying on food banks and getting into rent arrears and in many cases getting evicted from their homes because of in-built problems with it.

“Thousands of families will be facing utter misery over Christmas this year. Theresa May promised her government would be on the side of ordinary families, instead she behaving like scrooge,” she added.

Supporting Unite – Marsha de Cordova MP

Labour is wholeheartedly supporting Unite Community. In fact Labour MPs joined dozens of Unite Community members in Christmas hats on Old Palace Yard, posing for photos with a ‘Fix Universal Credit’ banner to send a message to the Tories that their cruel benefits regime is directly to blame for Christmas misery for thousands of families this year.

Improvements made to the new system that were announced in last week’s budget will not come into place until February 2018 including the elimination of a seven-day waiting period so the first payments come within five weeks rather than six.

Hear Jeremy speak out against Universal Credit and why he’s pleased to support Unite and Unite Community