It's time to talk about genuine financial security. It's time to trial a Basic Income
Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In the midst of the Tory leadership campaign benefit claimants will receive the first of two Cost of Living Payments. These payments are an attempt to soften the blow of inflation and the increase of household bills. But they don’t go far enough.
Whatever happens in Westminster and Whitehall, we know too many people are being forced to make impossible choices between heating their homes or putting food on the table.
A basic income could guarantee financial security for everyone.
There's only one way to test how a basic income improves health and financial wellbeing for different groups of people in different places. Pilot it.
Wales is doing it. Ireland is doing it. Scotland has already completed a pilot feasibility study and Northern Ireland is next. Despite over 30 local councils calling for one, why won't England?
If you agree that England should follow in the footsteps of Wales and Ireland and trial basic income add your name in support.
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Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
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We are urgently calling on the UK government to commit to a Universal Basic Income trial in England.
We are living through an economic crisis following a pandemic and are likely to experience a damaging recession. After years of cuts and freezes to Universal Credit and other social security measures, the UK government is leaving many people forced to make impossible choices between heating their homes or putting food on the table.
The raising of the National Insurance threshold and the £650 Cost of Living Payments for benefits claimants are not enough to address the current crisis.
A universal basic income could guarantee financial security for everyone.
There's only one way to test how a basic income improves health and financial wellbeing for different groups of people in different places. Pilot it.
More than 30 local councils across the breadth of England have already passed motions to call for a basic income pilot.
Almost half of the public now support the introduction of a UBI and our cross-party group shows support from seven parties across all four nations.
We call on the government to channel the same urgency and the same novelty of action behind the £187billion response to the pandemic into the current economic crises. A universal basic income pilot should be rolled out as quickly as possible. This will help transition our society and our economy into a sustained recovery, and will become the foundation for a future social security system that provides genuine security.