A former Tory Cabinet minister has urged new Prime Minister Liz Truss to reinstate the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift which was introduced to support people during the Covid lockdown. Lord Forsyth, who served in John Major's Cabinet, said the circumstances are "considerably worse" now with soaring fuel costs than they were at the height of the pandemic.
He asked in the House of Lords: "If it was right to pay an extra £20 on Universal Credit in lockdown when circumstances were bad, they're considerably worse now, and, therefore, should we not look to increase payments on a temporary basis on Universal Credit?" The £20-a-week boost to Universal Credit and working tax credits was initially introduced in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic and resultant lockdown.
The uplift lasted for 18 months before being scrapped in October 2021. Lord Callanan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility, said it was a "powerful point" and that he was "sure the new PM will want to bear in mind his words".
