VIDEO: Eastbourne MP brands Universal Credit a '˜train wreck'

Eastbourne's MP has called Universal Credit a '˜train wreck' and has said Christmas will be '˜bitterly hard' for the town's families unless it is paused.
Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd speaking in the House of CommonsEastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd speaking in the House of Commons
Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd speaking in the House of Commons

Stephen Lloyd, the Work and Pensions spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, criticised the policy in a speech at the party’s conference yesterday.

This comes as the single monthly payment replacing some benefits and tax credits is set to roll out across Eastbourne next month.

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Mr Lloyd said, “Today we have the complete shambles of what [the Conservatives] have done with Universal Credit.

“The original concept of Universal Credit was to make work pay, and when we supported in coalition it would have done.

“Since then more than £3billion has been taken out of the programme.

“The work allowance for instance, an amount people on benefits can earn before their benefits are reduced, has been slashed to the bone.

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“This has rendered the entire guiding principle to make work pay utterly worthless.

“Universal Credit is no longer a progressive, reliable, policy. It is a complete train wreck.”

He added that he was ‘profoundly anxious’ about the impact it will have on his constituents when it is fully rolled out in October. To see the full speech click the video.

To find out more about Universal Credit, visit www.gov.uk/universal-credit