Government ministers had steadfastly denied any link between Universal Credit and rising referrals to foodbanks

Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd has finally admitted that soaring foodbank use is linked to the roll out of Universal Credit.

UK government ministers have unitl now stringently denied the link despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

However Rudd conceded that increasing reliance on foodbanks was a consequence of the new benefits system, which combines a number of payments into one and has been beset with delays and errors.

Answering a ministerial question in the Commons about food insecurity and Universal Credit, Rudd said improvements must be made to the system.

“We are committed to a strong safety net where people need it,” said Rudd. “It is absolutely clear that there were challenges with the initial rollout of Universal Credit, and the main issue that led to an increase in foodbank use could have been the fact that people had difficulty accessing their money early enough.”

The Trussell Trust, the biggest provider of foodbanks, reported foodbank use was up by an average of 30% in areas where Universal Credit had been introduced.

Chief executive Emma Revie said: “It’s promising to see the secretary of state is listening to the evidence of foodbanks across the UK.

“We're a country that prides itself on making sure proper support is in place for each other when help is most needed – our benefits system was created to do exactly this. But universal credit isn't the poverty-fighting reform that was promised.”

Charities and MPs of all parties have long warned that delays in delivering the benefit payments have left desperate people with no choice but to go to foodbanks.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said it has been presenting evidence for the last year that flaws in the Universal Credit system are pushing people into hardship.

Spokesman Rob Gowans added: “We hope the government will now address the recommendations that we have made to fix these problems.

“These include action to address the long waiting period for a first payment, to provide alternative ways for people to make and manage their claim who are unable to use digital services, and to address the high level of deductions to repay advances which can leave people in hardship for several months.”

Universal Credit was supposed to be fully operational by April 2017 but it has faced numerous delays and won’t be completely functioning until December 2023.