Dear Constituent,

Thank you for writing to me to express your concerns about the cut to universal credit and the increase in child poverty.

The number of children living in poverty has soared in recent years, as a decade of Conservative governments has eroded families’ safety nets. Since 2010, almost 700,000 children have been pushed into poverty, and now over 30% of children, on average 9 in every classroom of 30, are growing up in poverty. That simply isn’t right.

Labour is serious about tackling child poverty. Under the last Labour government 1.1million children were raised out of poverty demonstrating what could be done to support families across the country.

Yet instead of supporting families, the Conservatives are planning to take £1,000 a year off working families as they plough ahead with their callous cut to Universal Credit. Labour is calling on the Conservatives to cancel the cut.

As I am sure you will know, in the Government’s 2021 Budget, delivered on 3 March, the Chancellor announced that UC will be reduced by £20 a week from the end of September. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions recently confirmed that this remains the Government’s intention.

I agree with you that UC should not be reduced at this time. If the reduction does go ahead, as the Government plans, it will cost six million families an estimated £1,000 a year and support for those out of work will be left at its lowest level in decades. For these reasons, I support maintaining UC at its current levels until it can be replaced with a new social security system which provides a proper social security safety net and has dignity and respect at its heart.

In the meantime, I want to see urgent reforms to UC and the current social security system. These include an end to the five-week wait for a first UC payment and for UC advances to be converted into grants instead of loans. In addition, I believe the UC savings limit, the benefit cap and the two-child limit for UC and Tax Credits should be abolished.

More widely, I support uprating all six legacy benefits by £20 a week in line with UC. Taking all of these steps would provide immediate support those affected by coronavirus including many people who, as you say, have kept our country running during the pandemic.

Labour believes that bold action is required to tackle the high levels of child poverty and hunger. That is why Labour has been calling for families with children eligible for free school meals – worth £15/week – to receive this money as a cash transfer to feed children over the school holidays. This stands in stark contrast to the Government’s holiday programme, which provided food on just 16 out of 30 holiday days this summer.

We are also calling for the introduction of a universal entitlement to a free healthy breakfast at the start of the school day. This is part of our Children’s Recovery Plan, which would deliver:

• Breakfast clubs and extracurricular activities for every child

• Quality mental health support in every school

• Small group tutoring for all children

• Fair pay and ongoing training for staff

• A 10% boost to pupil premium delivering targeted support for children on free school meals and with SEND across early years, schools and post-16 education, enabling every child to reach their full potential

In government, Labour would replace universal credit, so that money is put back into families’ pockets, enabling parents to provide for their families. These reforms would lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

I share your concern and support the ambition to end child poverty.  I support the  

Thank you for taking the time to write to me, and for your support for this important campaign to end child poverty.

Yours Sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP