Boris Johnson’s cabinet is becoming increasingly isolated on the universal credit cut

It is suggested that homelessness and food bank use will soar as the support is withdrawn, writes Ashley Cowburn

Boris Johnson is sticking to the decision to remove the uplift, which is worth more than £1,000 a year for some families (Reuters)

According to an internal government analysis, reported this week, the imminent cut to universal credit – ending the £20 uplift introduced in March 2020 – will have a “catastrophic” impact.

“It could be the real disaster of the autumn,” a Whitehall official told the Financial Times, suggesting that homelessness and food bank use will soar as the support is withdrawn.

For anyone that has been following the debate over universal credit closely, perhaps this warning will not come as a surprise: for months, anti-poverty campaigners and experts have been sounding the alarm with similar warnings to ministers.