#universal-credit

#universal-credit

Claim: There's not much manufacturing. If you look at the UK, about 25 years ago no, about 1995 I think it was about 25% of our GDP was manufacturing, and Germany was about the same, 25%. So we're going back what, 30 years? Today Germany's still up there, 20-21% of its GDP is manufacturing, in the UK it's down at about 8%. So manufacturing's collapsed in the UK.

The UK population is estimated to have grown by nearly three million between 2020 and 2025, official figures show, not by 12 million as stated by Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. In an interview for Sky News broadcast on Wednesday, Sir Jim said: The population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it's 70 million that's 12 million people. It had climbed to just under 69.5 million by mid-2025, an increase since 2020 of almost 2.8 million.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

A cross-party commission including former welfare ministers is urging the government to scrap the two-child benefit limit as part of an ambitious once in a generation plan to lift millions of people out of poverty. The Poverty Strategy Commission said billions of pounds of investment including a boost to the rate of universal credit was needed to reverse record levels of poverty in the UK, and tackle longstanding failures over rising hardship and destitution.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities expressed concerns about the UK's welfare bill, fearing it may worsen the rights of disabled people.

The provisions of the universal credit and personal independent payment bill have not been subject to a formal consultation with disabled people and their carers.

‘I vowed then that I would do all I could to use my skills and experiences of 20 years working in disability law and policy to deliver a country that treats disabled people with dignity and respect.’

The issue of young Londoners leaving care faces a crisis as they struggle with the transition to independence at 18 without adequate support.