Universal credit reduction: Removing £20 uplift - 'I won't have enough to survive'

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A woman who lost everything in a house fire says government benefit cuts will be "catastrophic" for people like her who are already struggling to survive. Abi Parker, from Swanage, Dorset, is among the millions who are losing a £20-a-week uplift added to universal credit payments during the pandemic. Ms Parker, who also lost her job due to the pandemic, said the cut will leave her with £234 a month to live on. The government said the £20 uplift was always meant to be temporary. Ms Parker moved to Dorset at the start of 2020 to start a new job but ended up out of work after the country went into lockdown due to Covid-19. Then in January this year, a house fire destroyed her possessions and she has been living in temporary accommodation ever since.