Last night Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard became the first major politicians to announce their support for the Living Rent tenant unions campaign to halt evictions caused by the implementation of Universal Credit.

Universal Credit has led to tenants across all housing sectors to fall into rent arrears. Living Rent are calling on Housing Associations to put in place provisions to ensure no tenant faces eviction as a direct consequence of Universal Credit.

Research from four UK Housing Association Federations has shown that 73 per-cent of tenants on Universal Credit are in debt.

A survey by Unite the Union has found that 70 per-cent of Universal Credit claimants have skipped meals and 42 per-cent have used food banks due to the deprivation hoisted upon them by Universal Credit.

Supporting Living Rent’s call, Scottish Labour Leader Richard Leonard said:

“The fact that people suffering under the cruel policy of Universal Credit are being forced into debt and threatened with eviction is absolutely shocking. In power Labour will immediately scrap this inhumane policy that has seen poverty and rent arrears soar across local authorities.

“The Living Rent campaign has Labour’s unwavering support on this matter and we call on Nicola Sturgeon to do all she can to help those tenants threatened with eviction.

“When elected Labour will tackle the sub-standard state of housing in this country and eradicate the poverty that goes hand in hand with it. We will implement a Mary Barbour Law to regulate our overpriced private renting sector and we will commit to build 12,000 social homes a year in Scotland.

“Labour will stand up for tenants in the face of profit-hungry private landlords because Labour is on the side of the many, not the few.