General Election in May rumour

[Viviennemary]

I heard this would be a possibility. Then saw an article today right down at the bottom of the topics on the DM website. I don't usually even scroll that far down. Can't see it myself as Tories not very popular. I will be voting Labour. Not that keen on them but certainly won't be voting Tory. Don't much like Greens or Lib Dems.

@Naptrappedmummy ’like I said most people on UC do not work at all’

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-july-2022/universal-credit-statistics-29-april-2013-to-14-july-2022#:~:text=Employment%20rate%20for%20people%20on,active%20on%20the%20count%20date.

’the employment rate for people claiming UC is 41%’

You have to upload all jobs that you have applied for into an online work journal which then gets assessed as to if it's "enough" and attend weekly meetings/training courses as required. If you're out of work for over 6 months then you get moved to a more intense work search category although thankfully I've never been in that stage myself.

The other 59% will also include those who are not required to work, including those who are disabled and of retirement age.

May would make sense because that's when the local elections are being held. It would save huge costs on administration to have both elections at the same time. But the government is so desperate to avoid a complete wipeout that they are pulling every little trick out of the bag. They are hoping people will think they have already voted in the local elections/they have election fatigue/ as well as as PP said, hoping students will not be in the places they are registered to vote come election day.

The thing is even if labour gets in it's a poisonous chalice.

How do you prove you’ve applied for them?

I didn’t think pensioners could claim UC?

@Naptrappedmummy you’re being very disingenuous about this. You haven’t mentioned ‘no work requirements’ claimants who are deemed to be too ill to work.

Well, you can't really. But if you haven't applied then you aren't getting a job and will be at risk of getting sanctioned.

Besides, they'd be daft not to as UC is more generous to working single parents than those who don't work. I'm better off by £800 a month working full time and claiming than I would be if I was completely unemployed.

Of course they can, if they are in rented accommodation and only on state pension they can claim UC for housing costs.

@Naptrappedmummy people moan about 100s of applicants for NMW jobs. That’s the reason. Feel for your kids being so envious of people down on their luck.

I can't see it being May. I reckon they'll push it right out, my money would be on Nov or even early Dec in an attempt to recover votes, make the most of any local election success and put people off from voting. They won't care about the additional admin costs!

That 41% figure isn't accurate, or the remaining 59% a large number will be incapable of work.

As of October 2023 there were 6.2m claiming UC

2.2m are not capable of work
2.1m are working
0.5m are planning or preparing for work
1.4m are looking for work

You clearly have never had anything to do with the benefits system, despite speaking so confidently about it, proved with your repeated asking 'how do you proved you've looked for work?'

You must submit every application you have made, every interview you have attended and/or rejection letter. If you are not deemed to have spent enough time applying (e.g. you have only sent out 20 applications) your benefits will be cut for that month (sanctioned).

No I didn't think they could either.

I knew someone who was very vulnerable (learning difficulties and mental/physical health issues) who started volunteering for a local charity a few days each week with the aim of developing his confidence and learning some basic admin skills. His support worker had suggested this as she thought it might help him to become more employable. He really enjoyed the volunteering, he had started to grow in confidence and he was slowly beginning to develop some basic admin skills. Unfortunately, in their wisdom, the DWP decided that should go and report to some sort of centre for 30 hours a week where he could engage in "assisted job seeking", and so he had to quit.

They’ve been living off their boyfriend/husband for years and when they split everyone just tells them to apply for UC rather than the blindingly obvious solution which is to get a job.

Nonsense. When my ex and I separated I claimed UC because despite working my income dropped significantly, I have two children with complex needs and at that time needed things in place before I could increase my income.

Within the year I had arrangements in place that let me look for a better paying job and increase my hours so I didn’t need state support any more. I did need some breathing space and UC gave me that. Most people need space to make the practical adjustments needed when a relationship breaks down, it’s not unreasonable to use benefits as a safety net, which is what it is intended to do.

More on topic, the sooner there’s an election the better.

They can get UC to pay their rent if they are renting their home and only living on state pension with no savings.

And this sort of catcalling is part of the problem with British politics at the moment.

Assuming that right-leaning means heartless gammon is just bandying baseless insults. Same as if all lefties were always and immediately branded as woolly-minded spendthrifts

Though of course routine insults even against what amounts to a centrist position (centre right) is a staple for MN - and why MN is so unrepresentative of the population as a whole. The only thing that gives me pause about likely scale of Labour victory is that so many MNetters are confidently predicting it, and that would end 15 years of being dead wrong about how the nation votes in RL

May is a good time for change. Early summer, with some time for change before the difficulties of winter set in. Therefore the current lot might not go for it as it might benefit someone who ISN'T THEM.

I'm looking forward to light being exposed on the dusty, murky dealings that went on over the last few years. It's harder to conceal those when you're out of power. Maybe. I have to hope some justice may follow too. I am an optimist.

@Fallenangelofthenorth I guess quite a few pensioners don’t get gold plated pensions or never earned enough to save/buy their own house. Frighteningly there are quite a few of them hence the large number of that have experienced fuel poverty.

Yeah I understand that, I just thought they were on housing benefit and pension credit rather than UC that's all

Isn't it pension credit for pensioners on low incomes, rather than UC?

@meditrina Tories really don’t deserve to win do they though. Yes there are posters on here who resort to insults whether it’s Tory scum, Angela Rayner being common as muck, leavers being thick. It goes both ways and is pointless.

The fact is that most benefit claimants are pensioners. Pretty sure I read that recently. Pensioners apparently cannot claim UC.