Universal uncertainty

Brushing aside recent criticism of his universal credit scheme, Iain Duncan Smith claimed that nothing now ‘demoralised’ him. After surviving two years of gruelling denigration as Conservative Party leader, he can perhaps be taken at his word. Yet the line between a thick skin and complacency is a thin one. For all the sniping from opponents, the Work and Pensions Secretary would be wrong to ignore the very real threats that confront his flagship scheme.

One of the more striking aspects of Universal Credit which has so far failed to make the headlines is that from April 2014, financial support for people already in work will become conditional rather than automatic, just as it is for jobseekers today. What this will mean is that anyone claiming Universal Credit and taking home earnings of less than a full-time working week on the minimum wage (around £210 a week) will be required to actively seek to increase the hours they work, negotiate a higher hourly wage with their employer or find one or more extra jobs to make up the shortfall.