SDLP Foyle MP Colum Eastwood
He made the call after statistics revealing that the Foyle claimant count was 1,525 higher than January 2020.
Rishi Sunak will unveil his budget next Wednesday, March 3, in the House of Commons.
Said the Foyle MP: “The claimant count figures for Foyle make for stark reading.
“The Coronavirus has had such a detrimental impact on people’s businesses, jobs and livelihoods, the effects of which are still being felt almost a year since the first lockdown.
“Last year, Universal Credit and the basic working tax credit element were raised by £20 a week. Only last month, Boris Johnson’s government were considering ending this uplift when so many on Universal Credit across the North are still struggling.”
“Over the past 11 months, I have had people contact me who have struggled to cope with this pandemic. They’ve told me how this £20 weekly uplift in Universal Credit has been a life raft for them.
“Derry and the North West has suffered from generations of economic neglect and underinvestment.
“Given the claimant figures of those in need of benefits, the British government must step in to ensure that people are adequately supported.
“When the Chancellor of the Exchequer announces his Budget next week, the uplift must be kept, and there must be a commitment for all benefits to rise alongside the cost of living.”
