Failure to extend support for at least a year would increase poverty to 1980s level, cross-party group says
A cross-party group of MPs has urged ministers to retain the £20 a week universal credit Covid top-up for at least another 12 months, saying failure to extend the payment would help trigger a spike in poverty not seen since the Thatcher era.
The Commons work and pensions committee also cautions ministers against making one-off payments of £500 or £1,000 instead of retaining the coronavirus boost, saying such a move would risk fraud and create financial problems for vulnerable claimants.
