We should maintain the Universal Credit uplift in the upcoming Budget

Today I spoke from my office in Barrow in the Opposition Day Debate on Universal Credit.

Universal Credit has been the unsung hero of this pandemic. Over 3million more people are using it now than before COVID, and it has flexed and stretched to meet their needs and considerable demand.

In my speech I argue that we should maintain the UC uplift in the upcoming budget as part of the overwhelming support that has been given to help families and businesses through the pandemic.

You can watch the video below, or read my speech further down the page.

Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker.

I am proud of the incredible package of support which has been put forward by the government to assist families and those struggling during these times. It has been as unprecedented in its scope and reach as this pandemic has been challenging.

Over £280 billion has been brought forward to support peoples' jobs and incomes through this emergency - a package that was praised by the IMF as “one of the best examples of coordinated action globally.”

That support includes the topic of today's debate - the uplift in Universal Credit that amounts to £1,000 extra a year.

Now, my views on this issue are on the record. I am glad to stand with my colleagues in the Northern Research Group when we say that now is not the time to consider any reduction in the uplift in Universal Credit.

This uplift was brought in to help people through the extreme challenges of the pandemic - and those challenges have not passed. Indeed, as furlough ends, we may be entering even more challenging times.

More and more people have been pushed into the category of just about managing. More and more people are now using Universal Credit than ever before - indeed the system and its flexibility is the unsung hero of these times, providing a safety blanket for so many.

The uplift is not a handout, but rather a genuine hand up to those who need it and are trying to do the right thing. Alongside the rest of the support package offered by this government, it has been compassionately delivered in the face of an incredibly challenging backdrop.

We have to recognise why we are here. This pandemic has fundamentally shaken society and given us reason to look again at ourselves and how we help our neighbours.

The community response to COVID has been remarkable. In Barrow & Furness, the energy and dedication of the local community resilience groups is something to behold. We now see that same energy again in the volunteers, doctors, and staff, supporting the vaccination effort.

But for all that, this virus risks taking communities like mine backwards. We simply cannot allow the impacts of it to stretch beyond health and entrench disadvantage as well.

This is even more the case as we look to recovery and levelling up.

It is absolutely right that decisions on spending are taken at the Budget. This is the normal and appropriate way of doing things. But I would gently ask my Hon and Rt Hon friends to consider these views very carefully. The uplift is making all the difference.

Yesterday I received an email from a constituent who had never used Universal Credit before, and told me that she had never expected to. But she called it 'life-saving'.

This government has done so much to support families through this crisis. But we should remember that phrase, Mr Deputy Speaker, and we should be unafraid at the Budget of maintaining the uplift while the effect of this pandemic is still being felt. Doing so would be very much in keeping with the agile and comprehensive support the government has delivered to families since the start of this pandemic.