BORIS Johnson has admitted that a 111 a month Universal Credit payment is not enough to live on.
The PM was grilled on the case of a pregnant Scottish mother, who barely has enough to get by on despite waiting for her baby to arrive.
At Prime Ministers’ Questions today SNP MP Mhari Black raised the case directly with Boris, who promised to look in the case.
She said: “After deductions including advance she is left with the grand sum of “111 to feed herself, heat her home and get ready for her baby…
“In principle, as the PM, does he think that “111 a month is enough for anyone to live on?”
Boris said he would “do whatever we can” to help the mum in her time of need, but defended the flagship benefits system in front of MPs in the House of Commons.
More than 200,000 people have been helped into work through Universal Credit, he argued.
“I am proud to stand by our record helping people into work and off welfare,” he said.
But his answer to whether it was enough to live on, he added: “The answer to her question is, in a word, no.”
Brits are entitled to help with advances when they first go onto the flagship programme, but these get dedicated from other payments later on down the line.
You can get up to 1,900 a month of help on Universal credit but the actual amounts differ on circumstances including whether you’re working, if you’re a single parent, and where you live.
And the DWP can take extra cash off payments to pay back debts and other loans too, leaving many struggling to make ends meet.
The six-in-one benefits system is now in place across the whole of the UK, but several million are still set to move onto it.
The project is years behind schedule and has been beset with issues.
HOAR has been campaigning to Make Universal Credit Work, lobbying ministers to let Brits keep more of what they earn, get upfront childcare costs, and to scrap the five-week wait for help.
Ministers have hinted that more changes to the system are on the way.
Earlier this month DWP minister Will Quince said he was speaking to the Chancellor about extra cash for Universal Credit.
