Issues - My policy positions

Universal Credit

The Tories roll-out of Universal Credit is having an absolutely catastrophic impact on people’s lives, pushing them into poverty, debt and destitution.

We do not disagree with the principle of Universal Credit, but the Tory approach has been to use their flagship welfare reform as an excuse to make savage cuts to the social security budget – impacting the most disadvantaged people in our society.

The way Universal Credit roll-out is being handled, the Government are simply being wilfully ignorant when they say 'Universal Credit is working'.

It is clear that DWP is in total disarray when it comes to the roll-out of Universal Credit – as it has been announced that the completion date for the full roll-out is being delayed again to December 2023.

This proves that their project is falling to pieces, all the while pushing people into crisis.

In Scotland, Universal Credit Scottish Choices means the Scottish Government is doing what they can with the limited powers available. Everyone receiving full service Universal Credit across Scotland is now able to choose if they want to be paid twice monthly and they will also have the option to have the housing element of their Universal Credit award paid directly to their landlords. This allows more people to have greater control over their household budget.

However, this offering in no way fixes many of the problems with the Universal Credit roll-out.

We in the SNP have said time and time again that the current system of Universal Credit is not fit for purpose and the roll-out must be immediately halted before more damage is caused to people.