New face... but no change
EAST Runcorn MP Mike Amesbury has accused the Government of ‘different faces – same old story’ after Esther McVey’s successor refused to pause the rollout of Universal Credit (UC).
The Weaver Vale MP and Labour shadow employment minister asked whether Amber Rudd’s arrival as work and pensions secretary following Mrs McVey’s departure would postpone the transfer of clients onto the controversial catch-all benefit.
Mr Amesbury said the mental health charity Mind had contacted him and raised concerns that constituents with mental health problems could be left without any cash during the switch to UC.
The comments came during the same week that United Nations poverty and human rights special rapporteur Philip Alston slated the UK Government of being ‘in denial’ about the ‘mean-spirited and callous’ nature of its welfare reforms.
He said austerity policies had ‘inflicted great misery unnecessarily, especially on the working poor, on single mothers ● ● struggling against mighty odds, on people with disabilities who are already marginalised, and on millions of children who are locked into a cycle of poverty from which many will have great difficulty escaping’.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Amesbury said: “Will the new secretary of state take the opportunity to make a clear statement of independence from her predecessor, take notice of Mind, Macmillan and others, and withdraw these regulations immediately?”
Responding, Justin Tomlinson, parliamentary under secretary of state for family support, housing and child maintenance, said the department would not change tack.
Outside the chamber, Mr Amesbury said: “It’s clear that even though they shuffle their personnel, the Government is just as unwilling to listen as ever.
“They call it managed migration but it’s anything but, it’s unmanaged chaos.
“The line of people queueing up to raise concerns about the Government’s welfare policies is getting longer by the week, be it foodbanks, mental health charities, or even now the UN.”