Benefits Uprating Bill is bad for families and the economy, warns TUC

date: 10 February 2013

embargo: 00:01 hours Monday 11 February

Commenting ahead of today's (Monday) second reading of the Benefits Uprating Bill, which will see a range of benefit and tax credit rises capped at just one per cent until 2015, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:

'This Bill has been sold to the electorate on the back of mistruths and nasty stereotypes. The reality is that with people's incomes continuing to fall in real terms, this Bill will cut the value of vital tax credits and benefits for millions of hard-pressed families.

'Our own polling shows how public support for these cuts crumbles when people find out who are really affected by the cuts.

'With the country in desperate need of a plan B to boost our economy and raise people's living standards, a Bill that makes poor people even worse off is the last thing this country needs.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The TUC poll on attitudes to benefits shows that once people learn that the benefit uprating cap will hit workers in low-paid jobs, support moves away from the government, with 40 per cent overall opposing the cap on low-paid worker benefits and only 30 per cent backing them.

- The full results of the poll can be found at http://bit.ly/YoQhV0

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk