Margaret Greenwood MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to the news that a complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority about the Department for Work and Pensions’ Universal Credit advertising campaign will be upheld, said:

“It is shameful that this Conservative government chose to waste thousands of pounds on misleading ads about Universal Credit rather than ending the harsh, punitive policies that are causing such severe hardship.

“They can’t hide the truth that if people are being forced in ever-increasing numbers to turn to food banks to survive, the social security system is not protecting people from poverty as it should.

“The reality is that advances are loans that need to be paid back, often on top of other debts and rent arrears built up during the five-week wait, leaving many people at risk of destitution.

“Labour will scrap Universal Credit, end the five-week wait and abolish the benefit cap and the two-child limit. This is real change that will make a difference to people’s lives, not misleading PR.”