Universal Credit: 'Lowest earners paying 63% tax'

Twelve Conservative MPs have written a private letter to the Work and Pensions Secretary demanding a pause in the roll-out of Universal Credit. A former top civil servant, Dame Louise Casey, is also calling for a temporary halt.

Stephen McPartland, Conservative MP for Stevenage, told Radio 4's World at One that he is concerned about Universal Credit's taper rate; the amount that people will have to pay back if they work extra hours. He said that "for every pound these people earn extra, the government is taking 63p back off them and to me that is a tax rate of 63%."