This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/02/heidi-allen-tory-mp-theresa-may-universal-credit

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Tory MP Heidi Allen calls on May to pause universal credit rollout Tory MP Heidi Allen calls on May to pause universal credit rollout
(35 minutes later)
A Tory MP leading a backbench revolt on the implementation of the controversial universal credit system has appealed directly to the prime minister to intervene and order a last-minute halt to its rollout.A Tory MP leading a backbench revolt on the implementation of the controversial universal credit system has appealed directly to the prime minister to intervene and order a last-minute halt to its rollout.
Heidi Allen confirmed that she and 14 fellow Conservative MPs, two more than originally reported, had written to the government calling for the rollout of the new system to be paused.Heidi Allen confirmed that she and 14 fellow Conservative MPs, two more than originally reported, had written to the government calling for the rollout of the new system to be paused.
The work and pensions secretary, David Gauke, has indicated he intends to press ahead with a plan to accelerate the rollout to 50 more areas this month.The work and pensions secretary, David Gauke, has indicated he intends to press ahead with a plan to accelerate the rollout to 50 more areas this month.
But Allen appealed to the prime minister to halt the programme. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she said: “My understanding is there isn’t any legislation that might stop or start this; it is already in train. It is more a question of whether it reflects what we heard the prime minister say when she first became PM on the steps of number 10. She showed to me a really clear understanding of people who are struggling to make ends meet. But Allen appealed to the prime minister to halt the programme. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “My understanding is there isn’t any legislation that might stop or start this, it is already in train. It is more a question of whether it reflects what we heard the prime minister say when she first became PM on the steps of No 10. She showed to me a really clear understanding of people who are struggling to make ends meet.
“So to me it doesn’t fit with that belief in a moral compass. These are the vulnerable people with no recourse to savings. We should be supporting them because universal credit is about supporting people in work and helping them move up the working ladder and take on more hours. That is who we should as Conservatives be supporting.” “So, to me, it doesn’t fit with that belief in a moral compass. These are the vulnerable people with no recourse to savings. We should be supporting them because universal credit is about supporting people in work and helping them move up the working ladder and take on more hours. That is who we should as Conservatives be supporting.”
Commenting on Gauke’s suggestion that implementation would go ahead, she said: “I hope that the rumours will be wrong. If we are celebrating the fact that advance payments are increasing and will increase, that means that the fundamental design of the system, which as a minimum is six weeks to wait, doesn’t work. It feels like an Elastoplast that is being stuck on, because six weeks is just too long for the majority of people to wait.” Commenting on Gauke’s suggestion that implementation would go ahead, she said: “I hope that the rumours will be wrong. If we are celebrating the fact that advance payments are increasing and will increase, that means that the fundamental design of the system, which as a minimum is six weeks to wait, doesn’t work. It feels like an Elastoplast that is being stuck on, because six weeks is just too long for the majority of people to wait.
Allen added: “This is an IT project we can fix: we are talking months to delay it not years and we should take that opportunity.” “This is an IT project we can fix: we are talking months to delay it not years and we should take that opportunity.
“Whether six weeks is the correct amount and whether we can expect people who have no recourse to savings, currently one in four claimants still aren’t getting any money within six weeks. It is taking them longer and that’s what I’m worried about. So far, full service has been rolled out to 100 job centres and that’s taken us 16 months to get there: that’s about half a million people.” “Whether six weeks is the correct amount and whether we can expect people who have no recourse to savings, currently one in four claimants still aren’t getting any money within six weeks. It is taking them longer and that’s what I’m worried about. So far, full service has been rolled out to 100 jobcentres and that’s taken us 16 months to get there: that’s about half a million people.”
Allen’s plea comes after Dame Louise Casey, a former government official who conducted a year-long study for ministers into community cohesion, likened pressing ahead with the universal credit rollout to “jumping over a cliff”. She told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme on Friday the changes, which involve merging six benefits into a single monthly payment, made her “hair stand on end”.Allen’s plea comes after Dame Louise Casey, a former government official who conducted a year-long study for ministers into community cohesion, likened pressing ahead with the universal credit rollout to “jumping over a cliff”. She told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme on Friday the changes, which involve merging six benefits into a single monthly payment, made her “hair stand on end”.
Casey, a former director of the Labour government’s rough sleepers unit, said the plans, which have already been tried on 530,000 claimants, would “end up making the situation worse for people that are working poor – let alone people that are on benefits”.Casey, a former director of the Labour government’s rough sleepers unit, said the plans, which have already been tried on 530,000 claimants, would “end up making the situation worse for people that are working poor – let alone people that are on benefits”.