Universal Credit
Is Universal Credit fit for purpose?

Is Universal Credit fit for purpose?
The system was designed to make claiming simpler - but critics say it creates ‘misery’
19 Jan 2021
DWP planning laws to snoop on Universal Credit claimants

DWP planning laws to snoop on Universal Credit claimants
Officials want access to the data for crackdown on fraudulent claims
22 Oct 2020
Instant Opinion: the red wall ‘wants a U‑turn’ from Johnson

Instant Opinion: the red wall ‘wants a U‑turn’ from Johnson
Your guide to the best columns and commentary on Tuesday 13 October
13 Oct 2020
Quiz of The Week: 28 March - 3 April

Quiz of The Week: 28 March - 3 April
Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
3 Apr 2020
The great universal credit swindle

The great universal credit swindle
Multimillion-pound benefit scam is exposed as fraudsters target flagship scheme
9 Jul 2019
Child hunger: is the Government breaking human rights laws?

Child hunger: is the Government breaking human rights laws?
Human Rights Watch report says Tory welfare cuts caused ‘hunger crisis’
20 May 2019
Food bank use hits record high in Britain

Food bank use hits record high in Britain
Government benefit policies blamed as charity hands out 1.5m parcels in 12 months
25 Apr 2019

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New inquiry into benefits claimants forced into prostitution

New inquiry into benefits claimants forced into prostitution
MPs to investigate whether universal credit failures means women have to sell their bodies
19 Mar 2019
Why universal credit is like the Victorian workhouse

Why universal credit is like the Victorian workhouse
Policy coheres quite closely to that of amendments to the poor law in 1834, says history professor
16 Jan 2019
Universal Credit roll-out delayed

Universal Credit roll-out delayed
Vote to extend government’s flagship welfare programme to three million new claimants has been pushed back
7 Jan 2019
Does universal credit discriminate against single parents?

Does universal credit discriminate against single parents?
Four female plaintiffs launch legal challenge to government’s flagship welfare programme
28 Nov 2018
What is universal credit?

What is universal credit?
Government’s flagship welfare project aims to simplify benefits system but has been beset by controversy
16 Oct 2018
Universal credit failings leave thousands in debt

Universal credit failings leave thousands in debt
‘Complex’ flagship welfare programme forcing people into rent arrears - and food banks
24 Jul 2018
Esther McVey ‘misled’ MPs over universal credit

Esther McVey ‘misled’ MPs over universal credit
Work and Pensions secretary makes partial apology but also disputes some of the watchdog’s findings
5 Jul 2018
Universal credit ‘may never deliver value for money’

Universal credit ‘may never deliver value for money’
Damning independent audit of welfare reform finds it is running behind schedule and not delivering on aims
15 Jun 2018
Finland turns away from universal basic income 

Finland turns away from universal basic income
Government will not expand scheme that gives unconditional monthly payments instead of means-tested benefits
24 Apr 2018
Government U-turn on axing housing benefit for young people

Government U-turn on axing housing benefit for young people
Policy reversal follows outcry from homelessness charities
29 Mar 2018
Children to ‘go hungry’ after free school meals cuts

Children to ‘go hungry’ after free school meals cuts
Tories face backlash for exempting Northern Ireland from reforms which could affect one million children
14 Mar 2018
Why are 300,000 jobless Britons not claiming benefits?

Why are 300,000 jobless Britons not claiming benefits?
Resolution Foundation report urges Government to do more to help UK’s ‘forgotten unemployed’
3 Jan 2018
One in five now live in poverty in the UK, report finds

One in five now live in poverty in the UK, report finds
400,000 extra children and 300,000 extra pensioners among the poorest compared to 2013
4 Dec 2017
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 29 Apr 2013
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 29 Apr 2013
29 Apr 2013