Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of removing the £20 uplift to universal credit standard allowance on levels of in-work poverty.

It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of removing the £20 uplift on levels of in-work poverty or on child poverty. This is particularly the case at the moment given the uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery, and how this will be distributed across the population.

As the economy recovers, our ambition is to help people move into and progress in work as quickly as possible based on clear evidence around the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty. Our ambitious Plan for Jobs is already delivering for people of all ages right across the country and includes new schemes such as the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, the £2.9 billion Restart Scheme and our Job Entry Targeted Support Scheme.

Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic and we have always been clear the uplift was temporary as part of an extensive £400 billion package of measures put in place to protect incomes, businesses and public services during the pandemic.