UK: Rising Universal Credit sanctions expose failure of promised “culture change”

In response to the release today of the UK’s latest statistics on Universal Credit sanctions, Jen Clark, Amnesty International UK’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Lead, said:

“Today’s figures expose a cruel and failing system that drives people deeper into poverty instead of helping them into work.

“People are losing their income for weeks or even months, including families with children, for missing Jobcentre appointments, even where appointments were cancelled, clashed with school pick-up times or were inaccessible.

“The Starmer government promised a culture change within Jobcentre Plus that would put people’s wellbeing first and place compassion and dignity at the heart of social security. Instead, sanctions have continued to rise, pointing to a system that is becoming even more punitive than the one it promised to replace.

“Rather than breaking from the failures of the past, the Government is doubling down on policies that punish people already struggling to survive. Cruelty masquerading as strength is not leadership.

“Sanctions are driving people into debt, removing food from children’s tables and placing people at risk of homelessness. Social security should protect people; it should not be used as a weapon.

“The scale of harm caused by sanctions now demands an independent commission into their human rights impact. The UK Government must urgently replace this brutal regime with a system rooted in dignity, fairness and human rights.”

Notes to editors:

• January sanctions in 2025 and 2026 were significantly higher than the January average across 2022–2024.
• January sanctions average (2022–2024): 46,821
• January 2025: 64,866
• January 2026: 67,600