Legal challenge vs Universal Credit — judgement Thur 14 June

This Thursday 14 June, at the High Court, Strand, London WC2A 2LL

9.30am: Support disabled claimants at the Joint vigil: Disabled People Against Cuts, Single Mothers’ Self-Defence, WinVisible, Rev Paul Nicolson (Taxpayers Against Poverty), Maggie Zolobajluk, and others.

10am: In court – the judge will announce his ruling.  Check court number here.

• On Thursday 14 June, the judge will announce his ruling in the case brought by Mr P, a terminally-ill man who lives alone, and other disabled claimants previously on ESA who lost around £180 a month. They were brutally denied severe disability premiums after moving to a Universal Credit (UC) area.  Read more here.
• In court, the DWP said that their approach is to “test and learn”.  We say to the DWP: “Test and learn – SCRAP Universal Credit!”
• Ahead of the judgement, benefits Minister Esther McVey was forced to concede in a statement that claimants now getting severe disability premium won’t lose out. She also had to announce a few concessions for parents and others in waged work.  But Universal Credit remains a massive, disastrous benefit cut and draconian system.
• Opposition by claimants, anti-poverty campaigners, PCS union benefits staff, Unite the union and concerned organisations is having a big impact against the continued “rollout” of UC, with “completion” put back to March 2023.
• Channel 4’s Dispatches investigation interviewed claimants with mental distress, and parents, including disabled single mothers, made destitute and driven to despair. The Joseph Rowntree Trust’s destitution report blames UC as one cause.  Migrants are disproportionally hit, being one quarter of the 1.5 million people (including more than 350,000 children) who experienced destitution last year.
• MPs on the all-party Work and Pensions Committee are looking at how Universal Credit paid to the man in couples, increases the risk of domestic and financial abuse of women and children. See WinVisible’s submission here. Women Against Rape has condemned UC as ‘making mothers dependent on violent men’.

For more info, contact WinVisible (women with visible & invisible disabilities) win@winvisible.org 

and Single Mothers’ Self-Defence smsd@allwomencount.net

Tel 020 7482 2496