Law firm delighted that Government will not challenge Court of Appeal ruling on Universal Credit
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Will Quince, Minister for Welfare Delivery, announced in the House of Commons this morning that the Government will not be challenging its defeat in the Court of Appeal this week over the “irrational” way in which it has regulated universal credit payments to four working single mothers.
Posted on 25 June 2020
Three judges at the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the Government’s appeal and ruled that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (SSWP) has acted irrationally and unlawfully by making universal credit regulations which fail to take into account that the date monthly salaries are paid can vary because of weekends and bank holidays.
In a statement to the Commons today, Mr Quince said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will look at "remedial actions" for those affected by the regulations.
Leigh Day lawyer, Tessa Gregory, represented one of the mothers, Danielle Johnson, who was badly affected by the regulations.
Tessa Gregory said:
“We are delighted to learn from the discussions in Parliament this morning that the Government will not be appealing the Court’s unanimous judgment. Urgent steps must now be taken to remedy this absurd situation to ensure that no other hard-working individuals are treated irrationally and to also ensure that those who have lost out financially are recompensed.”