Starmer tells Sunak to publish secret Covid-era Universal Credit reduce evaluation

Keir Starmer has told Rishi Sunak to publish a secret analysis showing the impact of Covid-era cut to benefits ahead of the General Election.

As Chancellor, the PM ignored campaigners’ warnings by scrapping a £20-per-week uplift to Universal Credit introduced during the pandemic. At the time one Whitehall official claimed an internal government analysis showed ending the extra support would be “catastrophic” for the most vulnerable.

Asked by The Mirror today whether the government should publish the details before the country heads to the polls on July 4, Mr Starmer replied: “Yes, good government requires transparency.

“Good government requires accountability. And this information should have been in the public domain long ago. And I have no doubt when we see this information we’ll find out why Rishi Sunak was trying to hide it. But yes, good government is about accountability and transparency. Sadly lacking under this Prime Minister.”

Last summer the Treasury refused to release any analysis of not extending the support when requested by the Mirror.

But The Mirror revealed this week the Information Commissioners’ (ICO) has now ordered the government to disclose the details. In its ruling on 22 April, the watchdog gave the government 30 calendar days to publish the information. It means ministers have until June 21 to publish the details – just two weeks before the country heads to the polls.

A Treasury spokesman said today: “We are looking into this matter and will respond properly in due course.”

The support – worth around £1,000 a year – was introduced in March 2020 as a temporary measure to help the most vulnerable families through the Covid crisis. It was extended once before the support was scrapped in October 2021.

At the time footballer Marcus Rashford, the Labour leader Mr Starmer and anti-poverty charities warned Mr Sunak not to cut the “lifeline” in support for the most vulnerable. Six former Tory Work and Pensions Secretaries – including ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith – even wrote to Mr Sunak urging him to make the increase in Universal Credit permanent.

During the investigation, the Treasury told the ICO it did not conduct “a formal impact assessement relating to the conclusion of this temporary policy”. But they admitted information was held “that details our analysis on the impacts of further extensions, which can be used to show the impact of not extending the uplift”.

They added: “The uplift was initially put in place temporarily between April 2020 and March 2021. In March 2021, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced it would be extended for a further 6 months. This policy was always designed as temporary so the information in scope relates to analysis completed prior to the 6-month extension”.