'Universal Credit starved him into a stroke': MPs share the stories behind the Tories' new flagship scheme

From a stroke caused by malnourishment, to a huge upsurge food bank usage, MPs have been using the debate on universal credit to tell how their constituents have been shockingly affected. Here are five of the worst.

Neil Gray, SNP, Airdie & Shotts - Doctors blame my constituent’s second stroke on malnourishment caused by universal credit

“At the start of the year, Mr James Moran from Park Hill from my constituency qualified as an HGV driver and managed to find work as an HGV driver while claiming universal credit - the very scenario under which universal credit was supposed to work better. Not long after gaining work Mr Moran was sanctioned despite being in employment. As he started the process of appealing the sanction he suffered a stroke, which meant that he was no longer able to work as an HGV driver. As the sanction was still in place, he returned home from hospital with no means of income. Despite getting some help from his elderly parents, Mr Moran was struggling with no money whatsoever for over a month. He then suffered a second stroke.

“Mr Moran has advised me that the doctors who treated him in hospital at the time of his second stroke admission told him that the low blood pressure that caused the second stroke was almost certainly caused by malnourishment. That malnourishment was a direct result of a DWP sanctioning error, forcing Mr Moran to live without an income—to live on fresh air.”

Angela Eagle, Labour Wallasey - The local food bank will be fifteen tonnes short for Christmas

“In my constituency, people are being driven into destitution by the waits for universal credit. The local food bank, alongside the citizens advice bureau, has estimated that if this full roll-out goes ahead just six weeks before Christmas, leaving everybody destitute for Christmas day, it will have to collect 15 tonnes of extra food to deal with the demand that will be generated by these changes.”

Paula Sheriff, Labour, Dewsbury - Universal credit forced sick worker back to work

“My constituent suffers from severe mental health problems, failed a PIP assessment, and was told to claim universal credit. He has a sick note up until the end of December but was made to sign a form advising him that he will take any job. The sick note was dismissed by the work coach, who said that if he did not sign he would be sanctioned.”

Ronnie Cowan, SNP, Inverclyde - Food bank referrals up by 70 per cent

“My constituents had universal credit rolled out last November, and we have been bearing the brunt of it since then. The only measurable difference we have seen is that food bank referrals have gone up by 70%. People cannot wait for the Government to make up their mind on how they are going to fix this system.”