Benefits

Universal Credit claimants living in poverty during pandemic

A TUC report, published this week, looked at the impact of forcing new Universal Credit claimants to wait five weeks for their first payment.

People Before Profit campaigners demand more jobs protection for workers

Hundreds of people joined an online rally and physical protests against the “job loss nightmare” on Halloween.

People Before Profit launch emergency jobs programme

Labour MPs, trade unionists, campaigners and socialists have joined forces to call for a “fightback across workplaces and communities to demand ordinary people won’t pay for the crisis”.

Letters—The lack of Covid-19 testing is yet another Tory disaster

Cambridge university recently announced that it will be providing free weekly Covid-19 tests to all students living in college accommodation.

Universal Credit claimant has payments snatched

The government is snatching money from Universal Credit (UC) claimants with no explanation or warning. And claimants are finding it almost impossible to challenge the robbery.

Woman refugee in ‘extreme poverty’ found dead next to baby in Glasgow

Mercy Baguma was a victim of a brutal welfare system and of a racist immigration regime

Crash on the streets—how cruel Tory plans will fuel homeless crisis

23 August 2020
Sackings and benefits sanctions have left ever more people struggling to pay their rent. The Tories’ plan to end a ban on evictions in September—meaning thousands could be thrown out

Protest over theft of TV licences from over-75s

03 August 2020
A 40-strong protest took place last week at 10 Downing Street, called by the National Pensioners Convention, over the Tories' betrayal on free TV licences for over-75s.

Woman died weighing 3 stone after DWP stopped her benefits

28 July 2020
A cancer patient has died weighing just three stone after the Department for Work and Pensions stopped her benefits.

Bosses couldn’t drive out Paul Williams

30 June 2020
Bosses at the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have backed off from an attempt to victimise leading trade unionist Paul Williams.

Debt, cutting back on food, endless stress—the reality of life on Universal Credit

17 June 2020
Nearly two thirds of families who receive Universal Credit have been pushed into borrowing money to survive

Letters: Solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement in Ireland

16 June 2020
Almost 70 Black Lives Matter protesters have been issued with fines for attending the socially-distanced rallies in Derry and Belfast on Saturday 6 June.

How the benefits system abused Errol Graham

04 May 2020
Errol Graham, who died of starvation when his benefits were cut off, had become so mentally distressed that his family believe he pulled out two of his own teeth with pliers.

No change in cruel Universal Credit

27 April 2020
The government has refused to make the Universal Credit benefit regime any less punishing

‘Every day is a struggle’ on Universal Credit

07 April 2020
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to claim benefits as bosses throw them on the dole, writes Sadie Robinson

Cruelty of Tories’ benefit promises revealed as Universal Credit claims rise

26 March 2020
Nearly half a million people put in claims for Universal Credit (UC) in a nine-day period as the coronavirus crisis hit.

Court challenge to Universal Credit childcare cost rules to go ahead

10 March 2020
A woman has been given the go-ahead to take the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to court over Universal Credit (UC) rules.

Tories underestimate number killed by Universal Credit

11 February 2020
The government has investigated 69 suicides that could have been linked to problems with benefit claims over the last six years

The woman who is taking Universal Credit to court

04 February 2020
Hated benefits rules left Nichola Salvato in debt over childcare costs. Now, reports Sadie Robinson, she’s on a legal crusade to have them overturned