West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed the confirmation that the Government will be injecting £4.5 billion into Universal Credit to give the country’s lowest earners a pay rise. The news comes alongside the increase of everyone’s personal allowance and the lifting of the National Living Wage by 4.9 per cent meaning more people will be lifted out of tax altogether and every worker keeps more in their pay packet next month. The extra money allocated to Universal Credit will mean that allowances for families with children and disabled people will increase by £,1000. The news comes as the latest Government figures show that measures of relative poverty have fallen by one per cent. Since 2010, income inequality has fallen and 400,000 have been lifted out of absolute poverty. Employment is at a record high and wages are growing faster than inflation. Harriett commented: “From next month every tax payer will benefit from the increase personal allowance meaning that no one pays tax until they have earned £12,500. “For the lowest paid workers, this, together with the 4.9 per cent rise of the National Living Wage to £8.21 an hour, will mean that millions will be taking out of paying tax altogether. “Together with the increase in allowances for those on Universal Credit, this means that those on very low incomes will have more money for themselves from April.”