Theresa May ‘poised to order Universal Credit u-turn’ Theresa May is poised to order a major U-turn on the Universal Credit benefits system by cutting the length of […]

Theresa May is poised to order a major U-turn on the Universal Credit benefits system by cutting the length of time that claimants have to wait for their first payment, amid warnings that the issue could become her “poll tax”.

Several Conservative backbenchers who have been critical of the Government’s flagship welfare reform said they had been assured changes were on the way, with the Prime Minister said to be concerned about a growing revolt within her party.

“We have seen movement on the phone line, which is good, we may see movement on four to six weeks” The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Johnny Mercer MP

Ministers are understood to be looking at ways to reduce the initial waiting time for Universal Credit from six weeks to four, amid warnings that the system is causing vulnerable people to build up rent arrears and other debts.

The change would be the second climbdown by the Government in as many weeks, after it was announced that controversial call charges of up to 55p per minute for the Universal Credit helpline would be scrapped.

In recent days Mrs May has come under mounting pressure to pause the rollout of the new system from Labour, but also from her own backbenchers. Labour’s Lord Beecham said the scheme was “becoming the poll tax of our time”.

Johnny Mercer, who was among a group of Tory MPs to meet the Prime Minister on Universal Credit last week, said he was “confident” that the Government was listening and hinted that a change could be on the horizon.

“We have seen movement on the phone line, which is good, we may see movement on four to six weeks,” he told Sky News. “At the end of the day this is a modern, compassionate Conservative Party that wants to get these things right.”

Close to a resolution

However, he refused to be drawn on any specific assurances he had been given during his meeting with Mrs May, saying it was a private discussion.

Stephen McPartland, another Tory MP who has been critical of the rollout, said he believed that the part was “very, very close to getting a resolution” on the issue.

He claimed that David Gauke, the Work and Pensions Secretary, was finding it “very difficult to justify inside the parliamentary party why they need to defend a six-week wait”.

Ministers have also been urged to cut the long waiting time for Universal Credit by the Archbishop of York, who described it as a “grotesquely ignorant” policy.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Dr John Sentamu said the system “seems to assume that everyone has a nest egg which will tide them over as they wait a minimum of 42 days for payouts”.

He added: “That is grotesquely ignorant, for millions of people, especially those in need of support, are already in debt and have nothing to fall back on.”

A Government spokesman said: “The Government remains determined to ensure that people joining Universal Credit don’t face hardship, which is why we recently announced significant improvements to the system of advance payments that people can get get as soon as they get into the system.

“As repeated this week, we will continue to monitor and take any actions if necessary. But no decisions or announcements on any further actions are imminent.”