Yitty Friedman v The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions & Anor

Facts

Yitty Friedman and her husband, Moshe Friedman, were joint claimants of universal credit. The only evidence of Ms Friedman's existing claimant commitment was a record of the commitments she accepted on 19 July 2024. They did not require her to look for work, to be available for work, to attend work-related activity or to attend interviews. On 26 August 2024 a computer-generated claimant commitment was put to her for acceptance through the couple's online journal. No text or email prompt was sent. The couple said they were on holiday with intermittent internet access, and she did not accept it. By a decision of 3 September 2024 the couple were held not entitled to universal credit because she had failed to accept her claimant commitments. That decision ended the award with effect from 26 July 2024. It was reconsidered, but not revised, on 27 November 2024. On 25 March 2025 the First-tier Tribunal (Judge Grewal), sitting at Sutton, heard the appeal with neither party present and dismissed it. It found that there were no exceptional circumstances, and it remarked that the new commitment 'no longer required' her to look for work. District Tribunal Judge Harrington granted permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal. Ms Friedman was later substituted as appellant, and her husband was added as second respondent. The Secretary of State supported the appeal on two of the claimant's five grounds.