The Work and Pensions Committee of the UK House of Commons is currently looking for participants to argue for or against a universal basic income (or “citizen’s income” as UBI is often known in Britain) at a one-off oral evidence session. This session will be held on January 12, 2017, at the University of Birmingham.
Interested participants must send a brief overview of their background and interest to the Work and Pensions Committee by December 2.
For more information, see “Committee explores introducing a citizen’s income” at the UK Parliament website.
Background: The UK Context
UBI is a topic of active debate in the UK, with several think tanks recently proposing various models for a national basic income scheme — including the Citizen’s Income Trust (BIEN’s UK affiliate), Compass, and the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). The Fabian Society has prepared a report recommending a related policy, “individual credits”, while not endorsing basic income.
In September, the Trades Union Council — a major federation of British trade unions — endorsed basic income, following the UK’s largest union, Unite, which itself endorsed basic income in July.
Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, has expressed interest in investigating UBI, and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has been a long-time supporter.
Basic income has been the focus of other recent discussions in the House of Commons, including a debate in September and a public discussion in May.
Reviewed by Genevieve Shanahan
British Parliament CC BY 2.0 Maurice