The Guardian view on universal credit: raising the level of benefits must be the priority

‘The Child Poverty Action Group says removing the cap would lift 250,000 children out of poverty.’ Photograph: Alamy

When the biggest shake-up of the welfare system in decades was introduced, there were bound to be teething troubles. But the welter of problems after the launch of universal credit – especially the five-week wait for initial payments and the harshness of the sanctions regime – led to persistent questions over whether it should be abolished. Ministerial ambition appeared to have outstripped Whitehall’s capacity for delivery.

But the relatively smooth operation of the system during the pandemic, including the administration of the £20 weekly uplift, improved its reputation. Seven million people are expected to be on UC by the end of the next parliament, and plans for the remainder of the managed migration from the old system are in place. The aim of streamlining three separate bureaucracies into one has been met, and the greater simplicity of this arrangement has brought some advantages.