'Compelling reasons' | England to trial £1600 universal basic income scheme for first time

In England’s first ever trial of universal basic income, 30 people could be paid £1600 a month without any obligations to work. The trial will aim to analyse the impact this standard income can have on people’s lives.

The pilot, proposed by the think tank Autonomy, will run for two years and draw out participants from Jarrow, north-east England and East Finchley, London in a bid to see if the scheme is an effective means of tackling inequality and poverty.

If successful, there is the potential that the government could adopt universal basic income which would see all people in society receiving the same salary regardless of their means or ability.

Universal basic income in the wake of AI

The concept of universal basic income has come into the spotlight recently because of developments and integration of AI in the workplace, which has proposed the possibility of mass layoffs across a variety of sectors.