Councillor Rachel Eden was disappointed to hear what Alok Sharma thought on the new Universal Credit scheme

The Employment Minister was branded insensitive after saying allowance cuts would encourage self-employed people to ‘be more productive.’

Councillor Rachel Eden, Labour candidate for the Reading West seat, was particularly saddened to hear his thoughts on self-employed claimants, after it was revealed that two-thirds of people would suffer compared to old benefits system.

She said: “I have to say I was shocked by his comments. It seems very obvious to me that when you first start a business that you need every bit of support you can get.

“As the Employment Minister, of course you want to encourage people to work and get jobs, but you also want to encourage small businesses. They are the lifeblood of this country.

“UC more broadly has been a complete disaster. It has been flawed from the outset and for whatever group in society you look at it has been a major problem.

"I speak to people with disabilities who feel that the government is persecuting them, because it feels so harsh and so punitive.”

The Minimum Income Floor bans self-employed claimants from claiming further funds if their earnings drop below minimum wage.

Cllr Eden, who is the director of a small training and consultancy company, went on to say how vital financial support can be for people who are trying to be the ‘innovators of tomorrow.’

Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West, hoped claimants would respond by ‘increasing their monthly earnings’.

He added: “Some [people] will choose to work as an employee, and others will combine the two.

“We have been very careful to rollout UC at the right pace and currently only around 10 per cent of all those people who will eventually be on it are on UC.

“It is clear that the rollout of UC in Reading has gone smoothly since December.

"Last week in Parliament, Conservatives voted through an extra £1.5bn of support for UC claimants, a move which was sadly opposed by Labour.”