Chris Bryant MP, Labour’s Shadow Welfare Reform Minister, responding to the Government’s announcement of new monthly Universal Credit claimant figures for April 2014, said:

“24 hours after David Cameron gave Iain Duncan Smith a vote of confidence in the reshuffle, the latest Universal Credit figures show the Government’s £12.8 billion flagship welfare reform programme is in crisis. 

“Last month Iain Duncan Smith told the Commons that 11,000 people were on Universal Credit. But now we learn the truth: the number of people on Universal Credit has increased by just 270 people in the last month to a total of 5,880.  That is just 0.6 per cent of his original target of one million that Iain Duncan Smith promised. And only last week Iain Duncan Smith had to admit that the Business Case for Universal Credit has still not been signed off by the Treasury. Today’s figures show Universal Credit is in complete chaos. The Government should call in the National Audit Office to do an urgent review of this failing programme.”