By Eric King-
Low-income Londoners and migrants who can’t claim benefits must get Government support during the coronavirus outbreak, the Mayor of London has said.
Sadiq Khan has today written to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to extend Universal Credit and remove restrictions on claimants. It follows the government’s removal of the minimum income requirement for Universal Credit to enable those affected by the deadly virus to claim, but claimants still face a five-week delay for their first payment.
In the Uk altogether, 477,000 people signed up for Universal Credit in the nine days to 25 March almost double the total for the highest month of claims last year. In a heart felt plea, Mr Khan said the most vulnerable people were being forced into debt as he called for a non-repayable day one advance for benefits claimants, to ensure everyone has the money they need.
The London Mayor has joined over 30 human rights organisations calling for ‘no recourse to public funds’ to be scrapped during the coronavirus outbreak. Only last Friday, he warned Londoners to brace themselves for many deaths in the wake of the crisis which has hit London hard. The Ministry of Defence continued also unveiled plans to turn the ExCeL centre in east London into a Nightingale hospital to cope with the demand on the NHS.
In his letter, he says migrant Londoners who are now out of work are “at real risk of homelessness”.
He said: “I am also particularly concerned about survivors of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds, who will face additional challenges to fleeing abuse and seeking out support during this time.
“They are unable to access the welfare safety net they need, despite paying into the system through taxes. “These are people who have lived in the UK for many years, often with children born and brought up here.”
He added: “Doing so would not only enable people to get the support they need but crucially would help to stop the spread of Covid-19 by those still who feel they have no choice but to go out to work.”