Will the government U-turn on cuts to universal credit?

Ministers appear adamant the £20-a-week uplift will end in the autumn but pressure at Westminster is likely to grow over the summer, writes Ashley Cowburn

Six former Tory work and pensions secretaries urged the chancellor to make the £20 uplift permanent (Getty)

To strengthen the safety net, I’m increasing today the universal credit standard allowance, for the next 12 months, by £1,000 a year,” Rishi Sunak told a No 10 press conference at the onset of the pandemic – just several days before England’s first lockdown.

As the crisis raged on well beyond the initial 12 months of support offered, the chancellor, however, was initially reluctant to extend the £20-a-week uplift. The Treasury considered other models, including a one-off (thus less expensive) £500 payment to families.

But under severe pressure from anti-poverty campaigners and MPs across the political divide, including many Tory backbenchers, Mr Sunak eventually announced a six month extension to the support — until September 2021.