Gauke burying his head in sand on Universal Credit rollout

The Liberal Democrats have accused David Gauke of burying his head in the sand as he announced the roll-out of Universal Credit will go ahead despite concerns over delayed payments. It comes as the latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions showed that almost a quarter of new claimants to Universal Credit did not receive their full payment on time. Stephen Lloyd MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Work and Pensions, commented: “Ministers continue to bury their heads in the sand over the shocking impact the rollout of Universal Credit is having on thousands of people's lives “For David Gauke to ignore even his own MPs shows just how out of touch with the needs of ordinary people this government is. “The whole point of the piloted implementation was to learn lessons and make the necessary changes, but ministers are determined to press ahead despite the consequences. “This is despite clear evidence from numerous respected organisations of the destitution families are experiencing because of Universal Credit, including statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions itself. "It’s almost as if the government wishes to drive these numbers up even further - which is just madness. “I urge the DWP, even at this late stage, to change tack and pause the national rollout immediately."