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As it happenedended1536769110

PMQs - as it happened: Corbyn says May ‘pouring petrol on burning injustices’ with universal credit rollout

Updates from Westminster, as they happened

Lizzy Buchan
Political Correspondent
Wednesday 12 September 2018 16:00 BST
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May ‘pouring petrol on burning injustices’ with universal credit rollout, says Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn has clashed with Theresa May over failings related to the government’s flagship welfare programme, claiming the prime minister is “pouring petrol” on the “burning injustices” she set out to resolve.

As the roll-out of universal credit accelerates, the Labour leader criticised the highly-contentious policy, saying that it is forcing more children into poverty and driving claimants to use food banks in greater numbers.

"The prime minister is not challenging the burning injustices in our society, she's pouring petrol on the crisis. When will she stop inflicting misery on the people of this country," Mr Corbyn said.

It came as speculation swirled around Westminster over a plot to oust Ms May as prime minister from her own backbenchers.

Members of the European Research Group (ERG), an influential group of Tory Eurosceptics, spent nearly an hour war-gaming plans to oust the prime minister over her Brexit blueprint at a meeting on Tuesday night.

However senior figures, including ex-Brexit secretary David Davis and Jacob Rees-Mogg, distanced themselves from reports of plans to oust Ms May from Downing Street.

See below for live updates

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Carol Monaghan, an SNP MP, says one of her constituents is caught up in the Windrush scandal. Her constituent has been told he hasn't made enough national insurance contributions, but he has been forbidden from working by the Home Office.

May says special teams have been set up to help Windrush victims.

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 12:39
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Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 12:40
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Tory MP Johnny Mercer raises the case of veterans being dragged through courts in Northern Ireland. He says the entire country finds this "completely abhorrent".

May says the country owes a 'vast debt of gratitude' to soldiers who fought terror but the system is flawed. She says there is a 'disproportionate focus' on members of the armed forced and the police - and all deaths must be properly investigated.

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 12:43
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That's it for PMQs this week.

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 12:44
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There's plenty of jokes appearing on Twitter about May's comments to the EU in PMQs.

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 12:45
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My colleague Rob Merrick attended the ERG meeting earlier and has done a write-up on their proposals.

Claims by pro-Brexit Tories to have found a solution to the Irish border controversy were undermined when they admitted there was “nothing new” in their proposals.

Story here:

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 12:57
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Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said any MPs talking about challenging Theresa May were indulging in "stupid personality nonsense".

He told Anna Foster on BBC Radio 5 Live that talk of a coup was "totally overblown" and he would "stamp" on any that he found.

He confirmed he was not at a meeting of the ERG on Tuesday night, adding: "You get 50 MPs of any political party together and you're always going to get some that are going to start arguing the toss about ridiculous issues.

"All I would say to them is: Stop it, it's just stupid. If you've got nothing better to do, go and find yourself some work, because that's the best cure for stupid personality nonsense".

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 13:15
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May's allies, the Democratic Unionist Party, have said that the ERG proposals were "positive and timely".

Deputy leader Nigel Dodds said: "The paper makes clear that, in the event of a free trade deal being negotiated with the EU, there are sensible practical measures which can ensure there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

"It therefore accurately reflects the fact that the border issue is no impediment to the negotiation by the UK of a comprehensive trade deal with the EU. This a position we have consistently articulated.

"For too long some have used the border issue, and the political process in Northern Ireland more generally, to try to mould Brexit to their way of thinking or to thwart it altogether. That should stop."

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 13:33
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The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for the government to halt the introduction of Universal Credit as he claimed the use of zero hours contracts is "the reincarnation of an ancient evil".

In a major speech to the TUC conference in Manchester, Justin Welby said the controversial welfare changes, which merge six existing benefits into one payment, have "left too many people worse off".

Ministers must "stop rolling it out" until they have found a way to stop the "intense suffering", he said.

Story here: 

Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 13:49
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Lizzy Buchan12 September 2018 14:03

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