Ministers have rejected calls from MPs to ease benefit sanctions on vulnerable universal credit claimants, prompting concerns that they are failing to act on warnings that disabled people and single parents are being pushed into “grinding poverty”.
A damning report by the Work and Pensions Committee in November branded the current system “pointlessly cruel” and warned that the human cost was “simply too high”.
The MPs called for new protections for single parents and people with disabilities and serious health conditions, and a maximum period of two months for such sanctions for the first failure to comply, rising to four and six months for subsequent breaches.
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But the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has rejected the proposals and dismissed a number of other recommendations.
Ministers also turned down the committee’s call for the department to issue regulations to make clear to administrators that events like health-related emergencies, childcare failures and transport difficulties amount to a “good reason” to miss an appointment.
1/50 10 February 2019
Olivia Colman with her Bafta award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for ‘The Favourite’ at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall. The Favourite took home seven awards during the night
PA
2/50 9 February 2019
Dwain Chambers made his sprint comeback in the 60m event at the British Indoor Championships. The 40-year-old came in second during his heat with a time of 6.78 however after a false start and a disqualification in the semi-final he failed to progress any further. The qualifying time for next month’s European Indoor Championships in Glasgow is 6.60 seconds
PA
3/50 8 February 2019
A model during a photo call for fashion presentation Fashion in Motion: Inspired by Christian Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London
PA
4/50 7 February 2019
President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker receives Prime Minister Theresa May, in the VIP corner of The Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The EU and UK have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find “a way through” the deadlock in Westminster, following her visit
Getty
5/50 6 February 2019
The group of activists who stopped a deportation flight leaving Stansted Airport have walked free from court and are to appeal their convictions. The defendants, who have become known as the Stansted 15, said they were “guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm” to migrants on board the plane
PA
6/50 5 February 2019
Emergency services attend to a house fire Stafford in which four children have died. Two adults and a fifth child are being treated in hospital
SWNS
7/50 4 February 2019
Hamish, the UK’s only polar bear cub, enjoying the snow at RZSS’s Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms. Hamish was the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK for 25 years when he arrived on December 18, 2017
RZSS/PA
8/50 3 February 2019
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after attending a Sunday church service in Maidenhead
Getty
9/50 2 February 2019
Owen Farrell celebrates as he walks down the tunnel after England beat Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
Reuters
10/50 1 February 2019
Dog walkers in Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve on the Chilterns escarpment, in Oxfordshire. Snowfall and icy conditions are expected to cause widespread travel disruption after temperatures plummeted as low as minus 15.4C (4.3F) overnight.
PA
11/50 31 January 2019
A person walks past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far as the cold snap continues to cause icy conditions across the country
PA
12/50 30 January 2019
Police searching near the scene in Islington, north London where 17-year-old boy, Nedim Bilgin, was pronounced dead after being stabbed on Tuesday evening
PA
13/50 29 January 2019
A vehicle navigates in snowy conditions near Newby Head in North Yorkshire, as up to 10cm of snow could fall on higher ground as temperatures drop across the UK this week
PA
14/50 28 January 2019
A Union flag flies from a pole in front of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Despite the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, Britain is no closer to knowing the end result of its vote to leave the European Union. A raft of amendments to be voted on by MPs on Tuesday threaten to further muddy the waters as the clock ticks down to Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU on March 29
AFP/Getty
15/50 27 January 2019
Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney being interviewed by host Andrew Marr on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Simon Coveney told the Show that the EU would not ratify a Brexit deal without a backstop.
PA
16/50 26 january 2019
Michael Russell, the Scottish government’s minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations attends a Rally for Europe at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. With only two months to go until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, people attended the rally to listen to speakers as they called for Brexit to be halted and for a second people’s vote to take place.
Getty
17/50 25 January 2019
Former engineers Derek Mack (left) and Mike Kelloway, both from the Isle of Wight, inside the remains of the Black Arrow projectile, the UK’s only rocket to successfully launch a satellite into orbit, are unveiled at a storage facility in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, after almost 50 years languishing in the Australian Outback
PA
18/50 24 January 2019
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond makes a statement outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court after he was arrested and charged by police. No further details of the charge against the 64-year-old have been released. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal
PA
19/50 23 January 2019
A couple walk through a park, in High Wycombe, as some areas of the UK see the first snow of the year
Getty
20/50 22 January 2019
Ttributes left outside Cardiff City Stadium after a plane carrying their new signing Emiliano Sala disappeared over the English Channel on Monday night. The aircraft disappeared off radar after losing contact with air traffic control around 8:20pm, with rescue attempts abandoned through the night due to worsening conditions. Lifeboats and helicopters resumed the search 8am on Tuesday morning, but the latest update from Guernsey Police is that there is “no trace of the aircraft” and officials have now said that they are “not expecting anyone to be alive”
Reuters
21/50 21 January 2019
A super blood wolf moon over the peace statue on Brighton seafront during a lunar eclipse
PA
22/50 20 January 2019
Forensic officers inspect the remains of the van used as a car bomb on an attack outside Derry Court House in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Dissident republicans are suspected to have carried out the attack which has been condemned by Northern Ireland politicians
Getty
23/50 19 January 2019
Women’s march for “bread and roses”, rally against austerity in London
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
24/50 18 January 2019
A team of specialists who are tasked with piecing together the iconic dinosaur Dippy unpack bespoke crates containing the bone structure at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. As part of a road trip across the UK, Dippy has arrived in Scotland and will be on show
Getty
25/50 17 January 2019
A farmer rides a quad bike as snow and frost settles on the peaks of the hills in the Brecon Beacons
PA
26/50 16 January 2019
Theresa May speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons the day after her Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament
PA
27/50 15 January 2019
Police monitor Brexit protesters outside the houses of parliament in London. Parliamentarians are voting on the postponed Brexit EU Withdrawal Agreement, commonly known as The Meaningful Vote, deciding on Britain’s future relationship with the European Union
EPA
28/50 14 January 2019
Andy Murray produced one of the performances of his career, but after more than four hours and with an injured hip that will inevitably end his career at some point this year, he exited the Australian Open in the first round at the hands of 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut. It looked to be a straight-forward victory for the Spaniard as he surged into a two-set lead, but Murray is not a three-time Grand Slam champion for nothing and he supremely levelled the match despite hobbling around the court from the get-go. However, in the end his hip injury just took too much out of him, and Bautista Agut clinched a breath-taking 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 victory to reach the second round where he’ll face Australia’s John Millman
Reuters
29/50 13 January 2019
British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.
EPA
30/50 12 January 2019
Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament
Getty Images
31/50 11 January 2019
An emotional Andy Murray revealed this year’s Australian Open could be the last tournament of his career. Struggling to hold back tears, the 31-year-old Scot said that the continuing pain from what he described as his “severely damaged right hip” had led him to decide to end his career this year. He said that he had been planning to make this summer’s Wimbledon his farewell tournament, but feared that he might have to bring down the curtain before then
Getty Images
32/50 10 January 2019
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were greeted by Chase Bridge Primary School children waving UK and Japanese national flags during a visit to Twickenham Rugby Stadium in, west London. Abe is visiting Britain and set to hold talks with May following her visit to Tokyo and Kyoto last year
AFP/Getty
33/50 9 January 2019
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron (right) speaks to a pro-Brexit protester outside the Houses of Parliament. MPs will resume debating Theresa May’s Brexit plan a month after she postponed the original commons vote. Met police have been urged to take action against protesters who abuse MP’s. This comes after Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused and called ‘Nazi scum’ by pro-Brexit protesters on 7 January
EPA
34/50 8 January 2019
Alex Salmond speaking outside the Court of Session in Edinburgh after it ruled that the Scottish Government acted unlawfully regarding sexual harassment complaints against the former first minister
PA
35/50 7 January 2019
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May meets with a mother and baby during a visit to a facility within Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. May made a speech setting out the government’s long-term plan for the National Health Service
AFP/Getty
36/50 6 January 2019
The Lions part group of professional performers on Bankside, during the annual Twelfth Night celebrations on the South Bank in central London.
PA
37/50 5 January 2019
Elliott List celebrates after scoring Gillingham’s first goal during the FA Cup third round match between against Cardiff City at Priestfield Stadium. The League One side went on to knock the Premier League out of the competition
Getty
38/50 4 January 2019
Frances Connolly, 52, and Patrick Connolly, 54, from Moira, County Armagh in Northern Ireland, who scooped a £115 million EuroMillions jackpot in the New Year’s Day lottery draw, during a photocall at the Culloden Estate and Spa in Holywood, Belfast, as they announce their win
PA
39/50 3 January 2019
The offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey leaves Portsmouth Harbour as it is deployed to patrol the English channel following an increase in migrants crossing in small boats
PA
40/50 2 January 2019
Rail protestors wearing masks with the faces of Prime Minister Theresa May and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling outside Kings Cross St Pancras station in London ahead of a visit by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to highlight ‘rising rail fares and falling standards of service on Britain’s railways’ as part of Labour’s Rail Action Day
PA
41/50 1 January 2019
Police restraining a man after he stabbed three people at Victoria Station in Manchester last night. Two commuters – a man and woman in their 50s – were taken to hospital with knife injuries and a British Transport Police (BTP) officer was stabbed in the shoulder. Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody
Sam Clack/PA
42/50 31 December 2018
Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year
PA
43/50 30 December 2018
UK Border Force Cutter, ‘Search’ berths at Ramsgate Harbour. The growing number of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel has been declared a “major incident” by UK home secretary Sajid Javid
Getty
44/50 29 December 2018
People remove a Santa hat on the 20 metres tall steel sculpture ‘Angel of the North’, outside Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The pranksters responsible climbed up overnight to remove it. One of the group, dressed as Dr Seuss character the Grinch, was photographed pulling the hat down from the 65ft structure, with the help of three others dressed as Santa. The hat had been placed on top of the famous Anthony Gormley artwork on Christmas Eve, prompting delight from onlookers
PA
45/50 28 December 2018
The steam locomotive U Class 31806 makes its way past Corfe Castle during the Winter Warm Up on the Swanage Railway in Dorset
PA
46/50 27 December 2018
The scene in Launcelot Close, Andover, where the body of a man has been found after an explosion caused a building to collapse
Hannah Louise/Twitter/PA
47/50 26 December 2018
Shoppers enter the Selfridges store on Oxford Street during the Boxing Day sales in London
Reuters
48/50 25 December 2018
Barbary macaques at Blair Drummond Safari Park have a great time finding the tasty morsels hidden amongst the wrapped parcels given to them by keepers. The animals need care and attention every day and Christmas is no different when the animals are checked, fed and given enrichment to keep them stimulated
PA
49/50 24 December 2018
A Santa hat on the 20 metres tall steel sculpture ‘Angel of the North’, outside Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The hat is believed to have been added overnight, with passers-by stopping to take photos in the early hours of the morning. The Sir Antony Gormley sculpture was installed in 1998, with celebrations marking its 20th birthday this year
PA
50/50 23 December 2018
Team Dash and Splash swimmers, some in fancy dress, getting into the Irish Sea at Bangor beach in Northern Ireland
PA
1/50 10 February 2019
Olivia Colman with her Bafta award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for ‘The Favourite’ at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall. The Favourite took home seven awards during the night
PA
2/50 9 February 2019
Dwain Chambers made his sprint comeback in the 60m event at the British Indoor Championships. The 40-year-old came in second during his heat with a time of 6.78 however after a false start and a disqualification in the semi-final he failed to progress any further. The qualifying time for next month’s European Indoor Championships in Glasgow is 6.60 seconds
PA
3/50 8 February 2019
A model during a photo call for fashion presentation Fashion in Motion: Inspired by Christian Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London
PA
4/50 7 February 2019
President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker receives Prime Minister Theresa May, in the VIP corner of The Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The EU and UK have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find “a way through” the deadlock in Westminster, following her visit
Getty
5/50 6 February 2019
The group of activists who stopped a deportation flight leaving Stansted Airport have walked free from court and are to appeal their convictions. The defendants, who have become known as the Stansted 15, said they were “guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm” to migrants on board the plane
PA
6/50 5 February 2019
Emergency services attend to a house fire Stafford in which four children have died. Two adults and a fifth child are being treated in hospital
SWNS
7/50 4 February 2019
Hamish, the UK’s only polar bear cub, enjoying the snow at RZSS’s Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms. Hamish was the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK for 25 years when he arrived on December 18, 2017
RZSS/PA
8/50 3 February 2019
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after attending a Sunday church service in Maidenhead
Getty
9/50 2 February 2019
Owen Farrell celebrates as he walks down the tunnel after England beat Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
Reuters
10/50 1 February 2019
Dog walkers in Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve on the Chilterns escarpment, in Oxfordshire. Snowfall and icy conditions are expected to cause widespread travel disruption after temperatures plummeted as low as minus 15.4C (4.3F) overnight.
PA
11/50 31 January 2019
A person walks past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far as the cold snap continues to cause icy conditions across the country
PA
12/50 30 January 2019
Police searching near the scene in Islington, north London where 17-year-old boy, Nedim Bilgin, was pronounced dead after being stabbed on Tuesday evening
PA
13/50 29 January 2019
A vehicle navigates in snowy conditions near Newby Head in North Yorkshire, as up to 10cm of snow could fall on higher ground as temperatures drop across the UK this week
PA
14/50 28 January 2019
A Union flag flies from a pole in front of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Despite the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, Britain is no closer to knowing the end result of its vote to leave the European Union. A raft of amendments to be voted on by MPs on Tuesday threaten to further muddy the waters as the clock ticks down to Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU on March 29
AFP/Getty
15/50 27 January 2019
Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney being interviewed by host Andrew Marr on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Simon Coveney told the Show that the EU would not ratify a Brexit deal without a backstop.
PA
16/50 26 january 2019
Michael Russell, the Scottish government’s minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations attends a Rally for Europe at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. With only two months to go until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, people attended the rally to listen to speakers as they called for Brexit to be halted and for a second people’s vote to take place.
Getty
17/50 25 January 2019
Former engineers Derek Mack (left) and Mike Kelloway, both from the Isle of Wight, inside the remains of the Black Arrow projectile, the UK’s only rocket to successfully launch a satellite into orbit, are unveiled at a storage facility in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, after almost 50 years languishing in the Australian Outback
PA
18/50 24 January 2019
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond makes a statement outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court after he was arrested and charged by police. No further details of the charge against the 64-year-old have been released. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal
PA
19/50 23 January 2019
A couple walk through a park, in High Wycombe, as some areas of the UK see the first snow of the year
Getty
20/50 22 January 2019
Ttributes left outside Cardiff City Stadium after a plane carrying their new signing Emiliano Sala disappeared over the English Channel on Monday night. The aircraft disappeared off radar after losing contact with air traffic control around 8:20pm, with rescue attempts abandoned through the night due to worsening conditions. Lifeboats and helicopters resumed the search 8am on Tuesday morning, but the latest update from Guernsey Police is that there is “no trace of the aircraft” and officials have now said that they are “not expecting anyone to be alive”
Reuters
21/50 21 January 2019
A super blood wolf moon over the peace statue on Brighton seafront during a lunar eclipse
PA
22/50 20 January 2019
Forensic officers inspect the remains of the van used as a car bomb on an attack outside Derry Court House in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Dissident republicans are suspected to have carried out the attack which has been condemned by Northern Ireland politicians
Getty
23/50 19 January 2019
Women’s march for “bread and roses”, rally against austerity in London
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
24/50 18 January 2019
A team of specialists who are tasked with piecing together the iconic dinosaur Dippy unpack bespoke crates containing the bone structure at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. As part of a road trip across the UK, Dippy has arrived in Scotland and will be on show
Getty
25/50 17 January 2019
A farmer rides a quad bike as snow and frost settles on the peaks of the hills in the Brecon Beacons
PA
26/50 16 January 2019
Theresa May speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons the day after her Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament
PA
27/50 15 January 2019
Police monitor Brexit protesters outside the houses of parliament in London. Parliamentarians are voting on the postponed Brexit EU Withdrawal Agreement, commonly known as The Meaningful Vote, deciding on Britain’s future relationship with the European Union
EPA
28/50 14 January 2019
Andy Murray produced one of the performances of his career, but after more than four hours and with an injured hip that will inevitably end his career at some point this year, he exited the Australian Open in the first round at the hands of 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut. It looked to be a straight-forward victory for the Spaniard as he surged into a two-set lead, but Murray is not a three-time Grand Slam champion for nothing and he supremely levelled the match despite hobbling around the court from the get-go. However, in the end his hip injury just took too much out of him, and Bautista Agut clinched a breath-taking 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 victory to reach the second round where he’ll face Australia’s John Millman
Reuters
29/50 13 January 2019
British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.
EPA
30/50 12 January 2019
Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament
Getty Images
31/50 11 January 2019
An emotional Andy Murray revealed this year’s Australian Open could be the last tournament of his career. Struggling to hold back tears, the 31-year-old Scot said that the continuing pain from what he described as his “severely damaged right hip” had led him to decide to end his career this year. He said that he had been planning to make this summer’s Wimbledon his farewell tournament, but feared that he might have to bring down the curtain before then
Getty Images
32/50 10 January 2019
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were greeted by Chase Bridge Primary School children waving UK and Japanese national flags during a visit to Twickenham Rugby Stadium in, west London. Abe is visiting Britain and set to hold talks with May following her visit to Tokyo and Kyoto last year
AFP/Getty
33/50 9 January 2019
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron (right) speaks to a pro-Brexit protester outside the Houses of Parliament. MPs will resume debating Theresa May’s Brexit plan a month after she postponed the original commons vote. Met police have been urged to take action against protesters who abuse MP’s. This comes after Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused and called ‘Nazi scum’ by pro-Brexit protesters on 7 January
EPA
34/50 8 January 2019
Alex Salmond speaking outside the Court of Session in Edinburgh after it ruled that the Scottish Government acted unlawfully regarding sexual harassment complaints against the former first minister
PA
35/50 7 January 2019
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May meets with a mother and baby during a visit to a facility within Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. May made a speech setting out the government’s long-term plan for the National Health Service
AFP/Getty
36/50 6 January 2019
The Lions part group of professional performers on Bankside, during the annual Twelfth Night celebrations on the South Bank in central London.
PA
37/50 5 January 2019
Elliott List celebrates after scoring Gillingham’s first goal during the FA Cup third round match between against Cardiff City at Priestfield Stadium. The League One side went on to knock the Premier League out of the competition
Getty
38/50 4 January 2019
Frances Connolly, 52, and Patrick Connolly, 54, from Moira, County Armagh in Northern Ireland, who scooped a £115 million EuroMillions jackpot in the New Year’s Day lottery draw, during a photocall at the Culloden Estate and Spa in Holywood, Belfast, as they announce their win
PA
39/50 3 January 2019
The offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey leaves Portsmouth Harbour as it is deployed to patrol the English channel following an increase in migrants crossing in small boats
PA
40/50 2 January 2019
Rail protestors wearing masks with the faces of Prime Minister Theresa May and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling outside Kings Cross St Pancras station in London ahead of a visit by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to highlight ‘rising rail fares and falling standards of service on Britain’s railways’ as part of Labour’s Rail Action Day
PA
41/50 1 January 2019
Police restraining a man after he stabbed three people at Victoria Station in Manchester last night. Two commuters – a man and woman in their 50s – were taken to hospital with knife injuries and a British Transport Police (BTP) officer was stabbed in the shoulder. Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody
Sam Clack/PA
42/50 31 December 2018
Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year
PA
43/50 30 December 2018
UK Border Force Cutter, ‘Search’ berths at Ramsgate Harbour. The growing number of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel has been declared a “major incident” by UK home secretary Sajid Javid
Getty
44/50 29 December 2018
People remove a Santa hat on the 20 metres tall steel sculpture ‘Angel of the North’, outside Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The pranksters responsible climbed up overnight to remove it. One of the group, dressed as Dr Seuss character the Grinch, was photographed pulling the hat down from the 65ft structure, with the help of three others dressed as Santa. The hat had been placed on top of the famous Anthony Gormley artwork on Christmas Eve, prompting delight from onlookers
PA
45/50 28 December 2018
The steam locomotive U Class 31806 makes its way past Corfe Castle during the Winter Warm Up on the Swanage Railway in Dorset
PA
46/50 27 December 2018
The scene in Launcelot Close, Andover, where the body of a man has been found after an explosion caused a building to collapse
Hannah Louise/Twitter/PA
47/50 26 December 2018
Shoppers enter the Selfridges store on Oxford Street during the Boxing Day sales in London
Reuters
48/50 25 December 2018
Barbary macaques at Blair Drummond Safari Park have a great time finding the tasty morsels hidden amongst the wrapped parcels given to them by keepers. The animals need care and attention every day and Christmas is no different when the animals are checked, fed and given enrichment to keep them stimulated
PA
49/50 24 December 2018
A Santa hat on the 20 metres tall steel sculpture ‘Angel of the North’, outside Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The hat is believed to have been added overnight, with passers-by stopping to take photos in the early hours of the morning. The Sir Antony Gormley sculpture was installed in 1998, with celebrations marking its 20th birthday this year
PA
50/50 23 December 2018
Team Dash and Splash swimmers, some in fancy dress, getting into the Irish Sea at Bangor beach in Northern Ireland
PA
The government accepted a recommendation to evaluate the effectiveness of reforms to welfare conditionality and sanctions, and said it would focus its evaluation on whether the sanctions regime within universal credit was effective at supporting claimants to search for work.
But the committee said that while this was “clearly key”, the government was still not even considering the impact of sanctions on claimants’ financial and personal wellbeing.
A 2012 law dramatically stepped up the sanctions regime inherited from Labour, making the penalties “longer, more severe and applicable to more people than ever before”, the MPs’ report said.
If conditions are not met, benefits are docked for four weeks, which can mean a loss of £300 for a claimant over the age of 25 – but a sanction can last for three months, or even a year.
The report last year found that the negative impact of sanctions actually stymied claiments’ efforts to find work, to the extent that the government’s approach appeared “arbitrarily punitive”.
The MPs said the evidence they received was “more compelling than that against the imposition of conditionality and sanctions on people with a disability or health condition. It does not work. Worse, it is harmful and counterproductive.”
Independent MP Frank Field, the chairman of the committee, accused the government on Monday of “failing utterly to grasp the seriousness of the matter” in its response to their concerns.
He said: “Our report laid bare the inhumanity of the government’s sanctions regime, which it has pursued for years without ever stopping to check whether it works or what it is doing to the people it is meant to ‘support’.
“It talks about reviews and ‘proof of concept’. It might want to take a look at the concept of not pushing disabled people and single parents – not to mention their children – into grinding poverty and hardship.”
It comes after the government was accused of “sneaking out” a report which found there was “no evidence” that benefit sanctions encourage claimants to get into work or increase their earnings.
The report, published with no ministerial announcement in September, showed docking benefits as a punishment for alleged failures to comply with Jobcentre Plus rules did not encourage claimants to apply for additional work, and in some cases “damaged the relationship between the work coach and the claimant”.
The Independent has launched its #FinalSay campaign to demand that voters are given a voice on the final Brexit deal.
