Caroline Russell AM

• I WAS proud that Islington Council passed my motion last week to call on the government for a trial of Universal Basic Income, making us the first borough in London to do so.

A Universal Basic Income is a regular payment to every citizen from the government to help cover the essentials in life, regardless of your employment status. It’s an idea whose time has come.

As we build back from the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, it makes sense to give people a non-means-tested payment providing the security of an economic floor below which they cannot fall.

Not a safety net with holes but a solid foundation upon which each and every person can stand and build from together.

I hope Labour members of the London Assembly will now take inspiration from their colleagues at a local level in Islington and back a trial of Universal Basic Income for Londoners.

CAROLINE RUSSELL AM
Green Party
Londonwide Member