PEOPLE FACE BEING 'STRIPPED' OF UNIVERSAL CREDIT AFTER THURSDAY THIS WEEK

People face being "stripped" of Universal Credit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after Thursday. Labour has vowed it will strip violent criminals of access to benefits like Universal Credit, and claimed that the party would take away benefits for violent criminals if they come into power.

It comes after it emerged Valdo Calocane, a killer based in Nottingham, was among 80 killers residing in a secure hospital and claiming state support such as Universal Credit. Calocane, 32, is one of nearly 80 convicted killers, rapists and other violent criminals detained at Ashworth secure hospital in Merseyside who are able to claim thousands of pounds in universal credit and employment and support allowance, according to a Freedom of Information request by The Telegraph.

A Labour spokesperson informed The Telegraph that they would "urgently look at this case" should they gain power after Thursday's vote. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride is said to be "very concerned" about the situation and has demanded a review into Calocane's case. Meanwhile, Emma Webber, the mother of one of the victims, has criticised the "broken" criminal justice system.

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Attorney General Victoria Prentis secured a review of the “unduly lenient” sentence by the Court of Appeal, but the judges upheld the original ruling on the basis that there was “no error” in law. If it had been upgraded to a jail sentence, it would have barred Calocane from claiming benefits.

A Labour spokesman told The Telegraph: “If we are privileged to come into power, Labour would urgently look at this case, including talking to the victims’ families.” Emma Webber, mother of Barnaby, speaking on behalf of three families, told The Telegraph it was “absolutely disgraceful” that killers such as Calocane could “stockpile benefit money into his bank account whilst all of us fight on a daily basis to try and begin to rebuild our lives.

“The criminal justice system in this country is broken and support offered to victims and their families is woefully inadequate at best. We support any incoming government to address these as a matter of urgency,” she said.

2024-07-02T12:54:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd