The Tories are punishing people for being poor, Jeremy Corbyn said today as he stepped up his attack on universal credit and hailed the start of a Labour comeback in Scotland.
Corbyn called on the government to scrap the six week delay which claimants face when they begin to receive universal credit and vowed that a Labour government would reform “the whole benefits system”.
He was speaking at Unite’s policy conference in Aviemore, 24 hours after ballots were sent out for the leadership of the Scottish party, which is being contested by Richard Leonard and Anas Sarwar.
Labour increased its number of MPs north of the border from just Ian Murray to seven in June and today Corbyn said the party is “once again a force for change in Scotland”.
“I saw that myself as I walked along the streets of Glasgow on the day before the vote,” he said.
“We’ve been written off time and again, but we showed that it is our party that is capturing the mood both in Scotland and across the UK.
“We are under no illusions. There are still many people who need to be persuaded to put their trust in the Labour Party once again.
“But this is the beginning of the rebirth of Scottish Labour.”
It was on the chaotic and delayed implementation of universal credit however that Corbyn reserved his strongest criticism of the government. Theresa May has already abandoned the 55 pence a minute helpline but is under pressure from Tory backbenchers and Labour to make further concessions.
Around 600,000 households in Scotland will be affected by the benefit by 2022, Corbyn said.
“The Tories’ roll out of universal credit punishes people for no other reason than being poor and forces them into further poverty, further debt and further instability.
“Our opposition has forced the government to scrap the 55p a minute charge on the universal credit helpline that many claimants have to ring to get the support that they are entitled to.
This is a victory for Labour. But it shows why a Labour government is needed to fully reform the whole benefits system, scrap the rape clause and end the six-week delays in payment.”
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