Charities warn of Universal Credit 'blind spot' that will push working mothers into poverty

The charity’s research shows that 150,000 of the UK’s poorest single working mothers could lose up to £3,500 a year, the equivalent of £68 a week, under the new Universal Credit, based on a single parent with three children working full-time receiving minimum wage.

It also found that the reforms will affect second earners, most of whom are women, with some families losing up to £1,800 a year.

While some families will be helped by the new system, including single parents working less than 16 hours a week on low pay, Save the Children warns that a total of 1.1.million families with children will be worse off than they are now.

To support struggling working mothers, Save the Children  jointly with Gingerbread, the Daycare Trust and Netmums, has launched a new campaign in the run-up to  Mother’s Day on 18 March.

The Mums United campaign - with the slogan ‘Make Mums' Day, Make Work Pay’ - calls on the Chancellor George Osbourne to make work pay for mothers who want to work their way out of poverty ahead of the budget on 21 March.

A poll by Netmums for the campaign revealed that 56 per cent of mothers said the main thing stopping them from taking a job or making them consider giving up work is the cost of childcare.

The Mums United Campaign calls on the chancellor to: