Boris Johnson said people should get money from work not welfare – and everyone’s irony meters broke

Despite opposition from both sides of the House of Commons and warnings from charities that the move will plunge more families into poverty, the government is to plough ahead with the removal of the £20 top-up to Universal Credit, introduced during the first lockdown.

Families are facing winter with a lethal mix of price rises & universal credit cuts.

Stripping away £20 a week from the disabled while putting their energy bills up £139 should be a criminal offence.

— Jon Trickett MP (@jon_trickett) August 26, 2021

Stop focusing on £20 per week Universal Credit being cut the total amounts to just under £90 per month which is a substantial sum…winter is approaching so many will have to choose between eating or heating…cold & hungry is that really what this government intend to inflict

— Barbara (@BarbaraSutton15) August 26, 2021

BREAKING 🚨🪙: Two Tory MPs, Peter Aldous and John Stevenson, have called for the government to cancel the £20 cut to Universal Credit.

— Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) August 26, 2021

Boris Johnson has complained to colleagues that his salary of £150,402 is too low to live on.

What the hell is he doing cutting Universal Credit by £1,000 a year for the poorest in society?

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 26, 2021

With mounting criticism, Boris Johnson made this statement.

Boris Johnson is facing pressure from members of his own backbenches to reverse plans to cut Universal Credit payments.

But the Prime Minister says his "strong preference is for people to see their wages rise through their efforts" rather than "welfare".https://t.co/cvK2bZPwTf pic.twitter.com/3ZsOiIeMSs

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 26, 2021

His work-not-welfare soundbite didn’t go down well, with a lot of people suggesting there might be some hypocrisy at play.

1.

“People on Universal Credit should rely on their own efforts not money given to them by others” says man who asked others to pay for his new curtains and a nanny. pic.twitter.com/0jOPHo9Dfr

— David Schneider (@davidschneider) August 26, 2021

2.

A bit much from a man earning £161k per annum plus accommodation but who still asks for welfare from wealthy donors to fund his personal living expenses including meals, childcare, flat decorations. #OneRuleForThem https://t.co/noM62HSjoX

— Jo Maugham (@JolyonMaugham) August 26, 2021

3.

One rule for them…. another for us pic.twitter.com/SzH3jCussD

— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) August 26, 2021

4.

I mean… that's obviously not the choice https://t.co/xN3V6CpJyZ

— Torsten Bell (@TorstenBell) August 26, 2021

5.

Translation: "Fck poor people"#BorisJohnson #UniversalCredit @LBC #bbcpm https://t.co/Ha5JIHptym

— I Am Incorrigible FCA (@ImIncorrigible) August 26, 2021

6.

Man who literally lined his walls with gold using someone else's cash, tells Universal Credit claimants to "rely on their own efforts".
If it ever meant anything, Levelling Up is officially dead, and so are honour, irony and decency.

— Dominic Minghella (@DMinghella) August 26, 2021

7.

Says one of the most blatant scroungers of modern times. https://t.co/LP6l75Xcyx

— Marcus Chown (@marcuschown) August 26, 2021

8.

More than 1.1million people in UK work more than one job. Nearly 2million people working full time are in poverty. People are working hard and they are still living in poverty. The idea that people are poor because they don't work hard enough is just crass and offensive. https://t.co/UA1knC9c46

— Daniel Sohege 🧡 (@stand_for_all) August 26, 2021

9.

1. Almost half of people receiving Universal Credit are already in work, the problem is that wages are too low.

2. What is @BorisJohnson doing lecturing people about taking responsibility when he has to beg Tory donors to pay for his luxury wallpaper? https://t.co/RD1MPhwjcS

— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) August 26, 2021

10.

My strong preference is for evil bastard politicians to not present something as an either/or choice when it’s anything but, then fail to do a single fucking thing to promote either outcome anyway.

And if we’re wishing for stuff, for the BBC to challenge this prick occasionally. https://t.co/OfoV5MbOdi

— Max Morgan 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@SpillerOfTea) August 26, 2021

11.

That thing when you are so utterly ignorant of your own rules that you urge people to earn more because you've never heard of withdrawal rates. https://t.co/FKjiR0JHwP

— BendyGirl (@BendyGirl) August 26, 2021

To sum up –

Famously, wages reflect hard work, which is why the people who clean Boris Johnson’s office earn more than he does. https://t.co/tqm8SU8WTT

— Daniel Trilling (@trillingual) August 26, 2021

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Source Sky News Image Screengrab