I've written to my representative, to request that they support the Early Day Motion calling for trials of Universal Basic Income in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as a response to the ongoing economic shocks caused by coronavirus.

Millions of people have fallen through the cracks of the government’s support packages. The pandemic has left countless families facing poverty and extreme hardship. Many civil society leaders believe that Universal Credit, which has itself been linked to high mortality rates, is ill-equipped to support people through the financial insecurity arising from the recession we are about to enter.

Economic shocks from financial, social and environmental crises are likely to continue for decades to come. Now is the time to act. We must trial innovative approaches which create an income floor for everyone, allowing our families and communities to thrive. The pandemic has shown that we urgently need to strengthen our social security system. The creation of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) – a regular and unconditional cash payment to every individual in the UK – could be the solution.

A UBI would build resilience into our society and our communities, while providing the stimulus we need to rebuild our economy. It would level up towns and cities across the UK, allowing us to build back better. With unemployment set to increase amid a shrinking job market, we urge you not to underestimate the wider costs to society of rising poverty and joblessness. These include the ripple effect of increased mental and physical health expenditure, as well as higher policing costs exacerbated by poverty. These will far exceed the costs of putting in place a Universal Basic Income.

I’ve called on my MP to support the following Early Day Motion:

That this House acknowledges that the current system of social security provision in the UK is not sufficient to provide financial security nor protect public health during the covid-19 outbreak; asserts that the provision of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) would establish a targeted system with no gaps and an income floor that nobody could fall below, with the effect of reducing poverty without reducing the incentive to work; notes that local authorities and devolved Governments across the four nations of the UK have called for pilots of UBI in their communities; and calls on the Government to provide co-operation through the Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions, in addition to financial support, to enable those pilots to take place.

The Motion can be found here edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57666