The cost-of-living crisis shows no sign of slowing down.
Inflation continues to hammer wages and push up the price of everyday essentials in shops. The Bank of England and the UK Government seem to have no answers other than to hike interest rates and ignore calls for decent pay rises.
The end result is everyone paying more, but those with the least suffer the most. And that especially goes for households who rely on Universal Credit.
Many claimants are among the least well-off in society. The rises in costs disproportionately impacts those who are hardest up.
So it seems perverse that during a cost-of-living crisis, the UK Government is deducting millions every month from claimants. Deductions totalling more than £12million are being taken from households across Scotland. It’s effectively a tax on poverty.
If you register for Universal Credit, it can typically take five weeks before receiving your first payment. No one can afford to go that long without money, so the DWP offers a bridging loan – which is then paid off by deductions from benefit payments.
It’s a terrible system that could easily be fixed by issuing grants instead of loans. There is little point in giving with one hand and taking with the other.
It continues a cycle of desperation and has collateral damage on mental health. The Tories established Universal Credit and they’ve failed to reform it once it became clear the system didn’t work.
The sooner they are removed from power, the better.
Pay it back, Boris
Boris Johnson relied on the taxpayer to pick up the tab for his huge legal bills when he was battling an inquiry into Partygate.
That’s despite the fact the disgraced former Tory leader has not struggled for work since he was forced out of Downing Street. Johnson has raked in millions from speeches and other appearances.
And it can now be revealed the ex-PM plans to splash out on an outdoor swimming pool at his newly-purchased Oxfordshire mansion. If Johnson can afford to lavishly expand a £3.8million property, he can afford to reimburse the taxpayer for his legal fees.
The former MP bought his new pad in cash, proving again the cost-of-living crisis is something many Conservatives can choose to ignore. It is an outrage that hardworking families’ money was used to defend Johnson’s lies and law-breaking.
He should do the decent thing for once and pay back the cash.
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