Brits could get £1,600 a month without having to work – but there’s a catch

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Worried young woman working at home

BRITS could receive £1,600 a month without having to work under a new trial that hopes to alleviate poverty.

Universal basic income will see 30 people from across the UK get paid the set salary for two years, regardless of their means.

30 people across the UK will be paid £1,600 a month for two years

The money will be given to people in Jarrow, in north-east England, and East Finchley in North London.

Anyone from the areas can put themselves forward to take part and there is no obligation.

Participants will be drawn at random and can remain anonymous.

Researchers from the think tank Autonomy are looking for financial backing for the two-year pilot programme that will monitor the participants to see how the money changes their lives.

Cleo Goodman, co-founder of Basic Income Conversation said: “No one should ever be facing poverty, having to choose between heating and eating, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.”

Will Stonge, director of research at Autonomy, said: “All the evidence shows that [a UBI] would directly alleviate poverty and boost millions of people’s wellbeing: the potential benefits are just too large to ignore.”

The trial is being supported by the charity Big Local and Northumbria University.

Last year hundreds of teens leaving care were in line to be paid under a similar scheme that took place in Wales.

The Universal Basic Income trial by the Welsh government was set to provide 500 children £1,600 for 24 months when they turned 18, to cover basic food and clothing costs.

What is Universal Basic Income (UBI)?

The idea of UBI is that it provides every person with a basic amount of money to live on, regardless of their circumstances.

It is a proposed blanket handout paid to all.

This is regardless of their age or whether they were in or out of work covering basic food and clothing costs.

It would be different from the current welfare system, which offers benefits like Universal Credit based on factors such as how much you earn and who you live with.

There is no single, universally accepted model of how UBI could work in practice.

Exactly how UBI works, like how much you get, would depend on how such a scheme was designed.

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