Universal Credit cut means 401,000 Yorkshire and the Humber families will miss out, says Labour

Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Picture: Hannah McKay/PA Wire.

New analysis has revealed that the Government’s plan to cut Universal Credit by over £1,000 a year will hit more than 401,000 families in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The analysis comes ahead of a crunch vote forced by Labour in the House of Commons today to scrap the cut and support family incomes during the pandemic.

The vote follows comments by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirming that he still intends to cut Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits by £20 a week for six million families from April.

In eight seats in Yorkshire and the Humber which the Conservatives gained from Labour in 2019, the Parliamentary majority is smaller than the number of people actually claiming Universal Credit, Labour said.

This includes Great Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Dewsbury, where over 10,000 people in each consistency are set to lose £20 a week under the Conservatives’ planned cut.

The starkest comparison is in Dewsbury, where the majority was 1,561 and the number of people on the benefit is 10,690.

The cut is equivalent to the cost of an average family’s annual electricity, gas and internet bills combined, according to Money Advice Service estimates.