The welfare state was not created to subsidise low-paying employers and over-charging landlords.

Jeremy Corbyn busted the nasty trick Theresa May hid behind Universal Credit at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on 25 October.
The nasty trick

To outbursts from the Conservative benches, the Labour leader said [12:20]:

The welfare state was not created to subsidise low-paying employers and over-charging landlords.

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2017/10/25/jeremy-corbyn-just-busted-nasty-trick-theresa-may-hiding-behind-universal-credit-video/

He just said what people have been thinking for a long time.  


Edit: So I just watched the video and my observations are that TM dodged the question by talking about investing in the economy and skills. Neither of which is pertinent to the question about employers paying low wages just because they can.

She then subverts the question even further by blaming previous labour governments for introducing tax credits.

I admit I did not watch the video right to the end but I am willing to surmise that at no point did anyone ever suggest that the introduction of tax credits was actually tantamount to a gift to employers (an opportunity to pay lower wages). It would have been great if someone had actually mentioned that tax credit policy drives the perverse incentive for employers to reduce wages.