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

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.

Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions Jonathan Reynolds said: "The UK is facing the worst recession of any major economy because of the Government’s incompetence and indecision.

“Now the Chancellor expects families in Yorkshire and the Humber to foot the bill - taking £1,000 a year from 401434 families, damaging our recovery and pulling children into poverty.

“We are urging MPs across the House to put party politics aside and vote with Labour today to stop this hit to thousands of people already struggling to get by.

“The government must put families first during this crisis and give them the support and security they need.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting the lowest-paid families through the pandemic and beyond to ensure that nobody is left behind.

"That’s why we’ve targeted our support to those most in need by raising the living wage, spending hundreds of billions to safeguard jobs, boosting welfare support by billions and introducing the £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme to help children and families stay warm and well-fed during the coldest months.”