The UK is one of the strongest economies in the world, and yet our economic system leaves too many people without enough money to meet their basic requirements and fails to value properly vital unpaid work like caring.
Today, Liberal Democrat Conference has voted to campaign for Universal Basic Income.
During the coronavirus epidemic, millions of people have fallen through the cracks in the government’s financial support. Many have risked their health, and continued in poorly paid work to keep a roof over their heads. Millions of unpaid carers have worked harder than ever. Some of the most marginalised in society have been overlooked.
This isn’t right. It isn’t fair. It doesn’t line up with our values as Liberal Democrats.
That’s why I’m thrilled to let you know that today Liberal Democrat Conference has voted to campaign for Universal Basic Income (UBI).
You can read the full motion here:
We need to build a system that works for everyone.
We need a system which prioritises social and economic resilience for individuals and for our country.
Trials of UBI have suggested it can improve mental health, financial wellbeing, and boost people’s confidence. It can properly value carers and caring for the first time and in practice can be a huge boost to the incomes of many women in particular. It can act as a second safety net for those in difficulty, for the most marginalised who fall through the current complicated system
We never know what’s around the corner. Coronavirus has shown us just how fragile our system is, and how easily it can fail people. From shielding people from another global crisis to rewarding informal caring, we need a system which prioritises social and economic resilience for individuals and for our country.
UBI is a huge step towards the fairer society we, as liberals, should champion. I couldn’t be prouder that so many Liberal Democrats today voted to fix our broken system.