Victory for Corbyn as Gauke announces universal credit helpline to be made free - Politics live Read moreGauke said the universal credit helpline was an 0345 number, charged at local rate and was not a premium-rate charge, but in the light of the concerns raised he had decided to change it to a freephone number. Later on Wednesday Labour are to hold an opposition day debate in the Commons calling for the rollout of universal credit to be paused. Landlords are worried about the level of rent arrears racked up by tenants on universal credit. Claimants complain that universal credit is bafflingly complex, unreliable, and difficult to manage, particularly if you are without internet access. “And many landlords will simply stop taking on universal credit tenants, so where are these hundreds of thousands of people supposed to live?”

Source: The Guardian October 18, 2017 09:09 UTC