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Campaigners, union leaders and politicians have backed calls for the Government to halt the national rollout of universal credit.

The disastrous welfare shake-up is set to clobber millions of hard-up families.

Writing for the Mirror, Labour’s most powerful elected politician, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan, called UC “flawed, cruel and harmful”.

The leader of Britain’s biggest trade union also backed the Mirror’s Stop the Universal Credit Cruelty campaign.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “We need an urgent conversation about how work is made to pay so people can live in dignity... not punished by the Department for Work and Pensions and pressed into pauperism.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

“We need fair welfare to support people, especially the vulnerable, through times of need.

“Every right-thinking person in the country should now unite behind the Mirror’s campaign to stop this car crash of a benefit. Scrap universal credit now.”

Officials representing some of the poorest in society have also piled pressure on ministers by urging them to think again before the overhaul takes effect nationwide in July. UC is already in operation in parts of Britain.

UC rolls six welfare benefits – child tax credit; working tax credit; jobseeker’s allowance; income support; employment and support allowance; and housing benefit – into a single, monthly payment.

(Image: PA)

It will be in every Jobcentre for new claimants by December.

Around 3.95 million existing benefit claimants are due to be “migrated” to UC from July.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has defended the scheme but admitted some families will lose out.

She said: “We made tough decisions; some people will be worse off.”

Theresa May’s former deputy Damian Green, who is still close to the PM, said: “The whole point of universal credit is that extra work always pays.”

Though he admitted the system will need “tweaking”.

Our campaign proposes three options to halt the misery: redesign UC to be fit for purpose; axe it in favour of the old system if UC is unfixable; introduce a brand new system.

More than 13,000 people had signed our petition by last night.

Vicki Nash, of mental health charity Mind, said: “Already, far too many people are losing out because they can’t navigate the online system for universal credit or fill out complex and lengthy forms when they’re unwell.”

Citizens Advice called for urgent improvements to UC. James Taylor, of disability charity Scope, said: “Universal credit is stockpiling problems that will hit large numbers of disabled people hard when its mass rollout begins.”

100,000 families with disabled children will be £1,750 worse off

By MIKEY SMITH, Political Correspondent

As many as 100,000 families with disabled ­children could be more than £1,750 a year worse off under universal credit, a charity warns.

An analysis by charity Contact revealed the reforms will result in £175million less being spent on disabled kids than under the current system.

With UC, a payment known as the “lower disabled child element” has been halved. This applies to all disabled kids except those on the highest rate of the DLA care component and those registered blind. In most cases, only those needing 24-hour care qualify for the top rate.

In June, ministers rolled out protections for disabled adults facing cuts on UC – but families with disabled kids were not included.

Contact’s Una Summerson said: “Why would any government introduce a system that makes caring for a disabled child more difficult?”

Marie Collins, of Battersea, South London, has boys of six and seven with ADHD and autism.

She said: “[I have] been told I will lose £67 a week or £3,500 a year. It seems unfair.”

Kathleen Max-Lino, of Peckham, South East London, who has two children with sickle cell disease and speech and language difficulties, said: “I will get £33 a week less for my disabled daughter. It would be difficult to deal with.”

PM Theresa May says nobody moving to UC will lose out. But Contact says many families’ payments will be “eroded” as changes in circumstances make them ineligible for £3billion of “transitional” protection.

Gagging clauses to muzzle charities

By ANDREW GREGORY, Political Editor

Charities have been made to sign gagging clauses pledging not to damage Esther McVey’s reputation over universal credit.

At least 22 organisations – covering contracts worth

£1.8billion – have had to sign as they help with programmes getting the jobless into work.

Officials at the Department for Work and Pensions denied they were “gagging clauses” intended to prevent criticism of ministers or their policies, insisting they were just “standard procedure”.

However a spokesman confirmed the contracts did have references to ensure both parties “understand

how to interact with each other and protect their best interests”.

According to The Times, the signatories must undertake to “pay the utmost regard to the standing and reputation” of Ms McVey, the Secretary of State.

And they must “not do anything which may attract adverse publicity” to her, damage her reputation, or harm the public’s confidence in her, the paper said.

Labour Shadow Disabilities Minister Marsha De Cordova said: “The Tories have tried to gag criticism of universal credit. The truth is it’s going to make people worse off.”