Labour Party: New figures we have uncovered reveal that millions more people will lose more of every extra pound they earn - Alexander

Douglas Alexander MP, Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, has today written to Iain Duncan Smith MP asking him to clarify what he means when he says "nobody will be a loser" from his Universal Credit plans following the story in the Observer today about how the changes mean 2 million workers will pay extra tax.

Douglas Alexander MP said:

"The Government has tried to justify £18bn of benefit cuts in this parliament by claiming that there would be no losers under their radical reforms in the next parliament.

"But these new figures we have uncovered reveal that millions more people will lose more of every extra pound they earn - and are a painful reality check for Iain Duncan Smith's reform rhetoric.
"Sadly, they confirm that George Osborne's austerity agenda seems to be prevailing in his Whitehall battle against Iain Duncan Smith's reform agenda.

"These figures prove once again that just because Iain Duncan Smith wants it to be true that nobody will lose out under Universal Credit- doesn't necessarily make it true."