Owen Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the publication of Sheffield Hallam University’s report the ‘Uneven Impact of Welfare Reform’ said:

“The legacy this Tory Government will leave behind is being drawn in the maps and statistics in this report.  Far from rebalancing our economy and making work pay, the impact of their reforms has been to take money away from ordinary people, both those in work and those seeking work.  Ex-industrial parts of the UK have been hit the hardest, but all parts of the UK, urban and rural, Pembrokeshire to Plymouth have been hit by a decade of record low wage growth, and the planned cuts to support for workers through Universal Credit will only make matters worse.

“That is why Labour is calling on the Government to change course and use next week’s Budget to fully reverse cuts to Universal Credit that will see two million working families lose an average of £1,600 a year.”

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