Tory benefits chief Esther McVey torn apart by National Audit Office for 'incorrect' claims about Universal Credit
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- 04 Jul 2021
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Tory welfare chief Esther McVey has been blasted by the national audit watchdog for making "incorrect" claims about benefits in Parliament.
The Work and Pensions Secretary has been thrown into an extraordinary public spat with the National Audit Office after she disowned its report on Universal Credit.
Ms McVey claimed the damning NAO study, which found the flagship six-in-one benefit has not delivered value for money and threw claimants into hardship, was out of date.
But today Auditor General Sir Amyas Morse took the rare step of writing an open letter to "clarify the facts".
He accused the Cabinet minister of misrepresenting his report, branded her behaviour "odd" and suggested she has refused to meet him.
Crucially, he added her claim that Universal Credit is working "has not been proven".
Suggesting her own civil servants disagree with her, Sir Amyas wrote to Ms McVey: "Our report was fully agreed with senior officials in your department. It is based in the most accurate and up-to-date information from your department.
"Your department confirmed this to me in writing on 6 June and we then reached final agreement on the report by 8 June.
"It is odd that by 15 June you you felt able to say the NAO 'did not take into account the impact of our recent changes'.
"You reiterated these statements on 2 July but we have seen no evidence of such impacts nor fresh information.
"I'm afraid your statement that the NAO was concerned Universal Credit is currently 'rolling out too slowly' and needs to 'continue at a faster rate' is also not correct."
Sir Amyas, head of the NAO, also raised the fact Ms McVey has still not met with him more than a week after he tried to make an appointment.
And he warned the DWP's own surveys showed 40% of claimants were experiencing financial difficulties.
He wrote: "I'm also afraid that your statement... claiming Universal Credit is working has not been proven.
"The department has not measured how many Universal Credit claimants are having difficulties and hardship.
"We also know that 20% of claimants are not paid in full on time and that the department cannot measure the exact number of additional people in employment as a result of Universal Credit."
It comes after Ms McVey was accused of being in "absolute denial" as she dismissed the devastating NAO study in the Commons last week.
The spending watchdog found the six-in-one benefit has not delivered value for money and its rollout has been slower than promised.
NAO chiefs also said it has caused hardship for many people, and the government did not show "sufficient sensitivity" to people driven to foodbanks.
A quarter of new claims were not paid in full on time last year - a total of 113,000. And from January to October 2017, 40% of those affected by late payments waited for 11 weeks or more.
But Ms McVey told MPs: "Universal Credit is a brand new benefits system. It is based on leading edge technology and agile working practices.
"The result will be a tailor-made system based on the individual.
"This is a unique example of great British innovation.
"And we are leading the world in developing this kind of person-centred system."
Ms McVey was backed last week by her Tory predecessor Iain Duncan Smith, who branded the NAO report a "shoddy piece of work".
Mr Duncan Smith said: "Who really polices this policeman? Because this piece of work does them no credit at all."
But Labour MP Debbie Abrahams said the Tory minister was in "absolute denial".
