Peers to debate amendment to Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill requiring vote in both Houses on whether it is ‘desirable’ to reinstate £20 universal credit uplift

Proposed additional clause will be considered at the Committee stage of Bill's passage through the House of Lords

The House of Lords is to debate an amendment to the Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill requiring a vote in both Houses of Parliament on whether it is 'desirable' to reinstate the £20 universal credit uplift.

Ahead of the Committee stage of the Bill's passage through the House of Lords, four peers - Baroness Stroud (Conservative), Lord Freud (Conservative), Baroness Boycott (Crossbench) and Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat) - have tabled an amendment inserting a clause requiring that - 

'Within the period of one month beginning with the day on which this Act is passed, Ministers of the Crown must make arrangements to move a motion for resolution ... to be debated, and voted on, by both Houses of Parliament.

The resolution is to decide whether it is desirable to reinstate the £20 uplift into universal credit as per the modification of the standard allowance of universal credit under the Social Security (Coronavirus) (Further Measures) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/371).'

The motion will be debated in the House of Lords on 26 October 2021.

The marshalled list of amendments for Committee stage (at 22 October 2021) is available from parliament.uk