WEAVER Vale MP Mike Amesbury has welcomed his party’s plans to scrap ‘cruel and unjust’ Universal Credit.

The Labour Party pledged to axe the government’s hugely controversial welfare reform if it wins a general election.

Universal Credit has been pilloried by welfare campaigners, community groups and charities since it was first introduced, with areas where Universal Credit has been rolled out often seeing a spike in food bank use.

In his role as shadow employment minister, the Northwich MP was part of the team that drew up plans to axe Universal Credit and says it will be replaced by a new system which will focus on supporting people rather than policing them.

The party says the changes will lift up to 300,000 children out of poverty by scrapping the two child limit and benefit cap. The proposals would also reduce hardship by ending the five-week wait, introducing fortnightly payments, suspending sanctions and ending the digital only approach.

Mike said: “Universal Credit has been one of the biggest issues impacting my constituents, people from all walks of life have contacted me who’ve been left suffering horrendous financial hardship due to the botched rollout of Universal Credit.

“It’s a cruel and unjust system that’s simply beyond repair and must be replaced with a system that genuinely helps people into work and supports those who need help.”