OTLEY’S MP is leading a call for Universal Basic Income to be introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.
The letter urging the Government to take the measure, co-ordinated by MP Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West), has been signed by 175 MPs and Peers.
It says introducing UBI would be an ‘innovative and bold solution’ that would ‘give everyone the financial support they need to provide for themselves and their families during this crisis’.
It goes on to say that: “The app-based driver is not paid when there is no work. Nor is the zero-hours warehouse worker, the children’s entertainer or the agency-supplied care worker.
“Many people do not have employers incentivised by the Government to keep paying them.”
Mr Sobel said: “We must give everyone the basic financial support they need to provide the necessities of everyday life through this crisis.”
Last Friday the Government announced that it would pay the wages of employees who are unable to work because of Covid-19. The support will amount to covering 80 per cent of the salary for staff - covering wages of up to £2,500 a month - who are kept on by their employer.
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