THE £20 Universal Credit uplift will NOT be reinstated despite the massive cost of living crunch into household finances.
The UC uplift was introduced during the pandemic to help hard-up Brits struggling to make ends meet.
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But in September 2021 then-Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey got rid of it, to the huge disappointment of claimants.
This morning new Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith told Sky News that the £20 was always supposed to be temporary – something the government has clarified many times.
Ms Smith said: “We’ve been very clear that that was a temporary uplift to do with the pandemic.
“Since then, we’ve also been very clear and comprehensive in the way that we’ve supported people through their cost of living concerns.”
To help with soaring energy bills and sky rocketing inflation, this month the government announced that it will cap energy bills at £2,500 from October 1 for two years.
Kwasi Kwarteng also confirmed last week that the April National Insurance hike would be scrapped and from next year the basic rate of income tax will be slashed to 19p.
The Chancellor believes that cutting taxes is the route to more money for working Brits.
But some people have criticised the idea and blasted Mr Kwarteng for cutting taxes in a way that mostly benefits the rich.
This morning Ms Smith backed the government’s “trickle-down economics”, declaring that “jobs and growth” are the best ways for struggling families to make more money.
She said: “I support a package that includes a cut in corporation tax, that includes a cut in income tax at various points in the spectrum and a cut in National Insurance for individuals and businesses.
“Because that will put money back into the coffers of thousands of businesses and thousands of individual household budgets, so that they have an opportunity to grow and choose how to spend that money.”
