Labour motion to extend £20 weekly Universal Credit rise approved in Commons vote

18 January 2021, 19:31 | Updated: 18 January 2021, 21:06

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

MPs have voted overwhelmingly in support of extending the £20-a-week increase to Universal Credit payments.

In a non-binding "political" move which ramps up pressure on the government to announce its plans, MPs voted by 278 to zero to support extending the increase.

Labour used the debate on Monday to argue for maintaining the Universal Credit uplift - worth more than £1,000 a year - beyond 31 March.

However, the result of the vote is non-binding, with Conservative MPs being told to abstain.

Nonetheless, six Tories defied the government's order: Peter Aldous, Stephen Crabb, Robert Halfon, Jason McCartney, Anne Marie Morris and Dr Matthew Offord.

Mr Crabb, the former work and pensions secretary, said the weekly rise should be kept for a further 12 months in order to give people "certainty" over their finances.

Watch: Tory MP accuses Labour of 'scaremongering' over Universal Credit

Watch: 'Govt is morally wrong to create uncertainty around Universal Credit'

Tory MP Ben Everitt accuses Labour of "scaremongering"

Leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer had previously said families "needed certainty" that their incomes would be protected during the coronavirus pandemic.

He called Prime Minister Boris Johnson "pathetic" for telling Tories not to vote on the motion and said that "in their heart of hearts", Conservative MPs would back Labour's move.

However, the UK leader said he wanted "to support people throughout the pandemic" and that the government had "already provided £280bn worth of support".

Downing Street has insisted that no decision has been made on whether to keep or scrap the increase and added that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will update the public on the government's plans "shortly".

The £20-a-week increase was introduced last year to support families during the pandemic but it is set to expire in April, leading to calls for its extension as the country continues its fight against Covid.

Read more: Nadhim Zahawi: Labour's plan to oppose UC cut is 'political stunt'

Watch: Caller 'demoralised' over £39-per-month Universal Credit offer

Wes Streeting responds to accusations of scaremongering over UC

Reacting to the vote, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: "It is disappointing that the Conservative government refused to vote with Labour to provide families with certainty and secure our economy.

"They can still do the right thing and drop their plans to cut Universal Credit."

The prime minister also faced pressure from the 65 Conservative MPs in the Northern Research Group (NRG), who said ending the increase would be "devastating".

Mr Crabb praised Mr Sunak's "historic" financial support policies during the pandemic but told the Commons: "The question for us right now is whether at the end of March this year, just 10 weeks away, it's the right time to begin unwinding this support - specifically to remove the extra support for Universal Credit claimants - and I don't believe it is the right moment."

He said the extra £20 a week has helped those "right at the bottom of the income scale", adding: "The truth is the labour market is a horrible place right now for many people.

Caller bereft as she receives £39 per month on Universal Credit

"Opportunities for people to find new work, increase their hours, boost their earnings, improve their family finances have been massively curtailed by the economic impact of the public health emergency, and that's the context for this discussion about cutting back the £20 per week uplift.

"It's why I believe the uplift is so important right now and it's why I believe it needs to be extended for a further 12 months."

Conservative MP Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness) added: "I'm 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."

For the government, work and pensions minister Will Quince said it is right to wait for more clarity on the national economic picture before assessing the best way to support low-income families.

He said: "I have sympathy with the argument that it would give claimants certainty. However, one of the evident features of a pandemic is uncertainty.

Keir Starmer attacks Tories over Universal Credit cap

"If (shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds) is certain about what the economic and social picture will look like in April, well, to be frank, he must have a crystal ball.

"The reality is we simply do not know what the landscape will look like and that is why it's right that we wait for more clarity on the national economic and social picture before assessing the best way to support low-income families moving forward."

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi earlier derided Labour's symbolic move as a "political stunt" and Mr Johnson told Conservatives in a WhatsApp message to miss the vote as he accused Labour of "playing politics" with "legislatively vacuous opposition debates".

The Resolution Foundation warned that scrapping the £20-a-week uplift will lead to a particularly tough 2021 for low-income households, whose incomes could fall by 4%.

The think tank estimated that the withdrawal of the benefit increase would drive up relative poverty from 21% to 23% by 2024-25, pushing a further 730,000 children into poverty.