Responding to the National Audit Office's (NAO) latest report on Universal Credit, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat DWP Spokesperson Dean Crofts said:
"The comprehensive report from the NAO is a devastating indictment of the Conservatives' cruel and incompetent roll-out of Universal Credit.
"Not only is UC years behind schedule and unlikely to either deliver value for money or increase employment, it is also causing severe hardship among claimants, which the Government consistently refuses to acknowledge or address.
"As is typical with this government, they are reacting to events rather than preventing events happening."
"The awful situation is unlikely to improve, with the NAO estimating that over 300,000 new claimants will be paid late over the course of this year, inflicting further financial and psychological harm on some of society's most vulnerable people.
"The Conservatives must re-instate the withdrawn work allowances to reduce hardship for claimants and fix the flaws identified by the NAO before it is too late."
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