THIS morning we'll know the outcome of an important vote in Westminster.

A vote that aims to push the Tory government to do something that will affect an increasing number of working age people in our city.

Last night MPs were due to vote on whether to extend an increase of £20 in Universal Credit that was offered as a lifeline to help people during the pandemic.

The increase is due to end in April but opposition politicians, charities and campaigners want the increase to be extended - and so does a relatively large group of Conservative MPs.

The debate was put forward by Labour to pressure the Tory government into making the Universal Credit uplift a permanent benefit.

But Conservative politicians were ordered to abstain from the vote with Boris Johnson claiming his MPs would face a negative response if they took part.

Boo hoo. Maybe they might like to try living on Universal Credit for a month and then see which is better or worse: poverty itself, or taking flack for forcing other people to live in poverty?

During lockdown the number of people in our city claiming Universal Credit has soared. Figures last year from the Department of Works and Pensions showed that 16% of people aged 16 to 64 in Glasgow claim the benefit.

That number is higher than the national average of 14% and a rise of from 33,656 in January 2020 to 70,499 in October.

So removing the £20 boost is going to affect a lot of families in the city and, of course, keeping it would do a great deal of good.

But politicians can't even decide how to talk about the subject.

Labour is calling it a cut - because £20 a week will be, you know, cut from people's income.

The Tories are saying it's not a cut, it's the removal of a one-off boost that was always designed to be short term.

For those who are having £1040 taken out of their pockets, for those who will struggle to afford healthy food choices for their children, who will struggle to make ends meet, it's going to be a cut.

Priti Patel, the home secretary, was interviewed yesterday on the subject.

"For families struggling around the country, they are getting the support," she said.

"It's a sorry state of affairs that the Labour Party wants to play politics at the moment."

That's the easy way out of difficult questioning, isn't it? Accuse the other party of playing politics.

It's the equivalent of shouting "Look over there!" and bolting when the other person's back is turned.

They might be playing politics but they certainly have a point.

If struggling families around the country felt they were getting the support then there wouldn't be such an almighty clamour to increase the amount of Universal Credit, a system that has forced a surge in the use of foodbanks and that has forced families below the breadline.

There are those of us who would spend £20 without even thinking about it.

A couple of takeaway lunches a week. A few extra treats at the supermarket.

No harm in one more thing chucked in the shopping basket when online shopping.

For many Tory MPs an extra £20 must seem like something it's hard to get upset about. They can't image the difference an extra £1000 a year can make to families.

Last week there was the stooshie about free school meals.

Instead of giving parents cash in their pockets to buy their children lunches, local authorities in England had contracted private companies to make up meal packages.

The contents had to be seen to be believed.

One lucky mum was given half a tomato as part of a package to feed her daughter. Just half. Don't want to carried away with a full tomato.

In Glasgow the solution to children missing out on free school lunches during lockdown is to pay money directly into parents' bank accounts and let them feed their own children what they need to.

Giving people money gives them choice. And giving them choice gives them dignity.

But the Tory government isn't interested in giving dignity.

Coronavirus has widened the gap between rich and poor into a gaping chasm.

The way to help people is to boost their income and yet Boris Johnson is reluctant to do this.

For Mr Johnson, the tenet is that people must find a way to pay their own way, despite any circumstances.

Even if those circumstances are a global pandemic, one that has been badly mismanaged by the government.

It's time for the prime minister to let go of that fallacy and support people in poverty. It is the only route forward.