IT WAS dubbed the “clash of the titans” as two political heavyweights battled it out in Southampton.

Actors playing Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn went head-to-head in the city in a battle over Universal Credit.

Unite Community union members protested against the roll out of Universal Credit in its current form as part of a national campaign.

The actors were part of a lively street theatre, joined by pall-bearers with a coffin, the Grim Reaper, Santa claiming ‘Christmas is cancelled’ and a choir singing songs of protest.

The organisers said they highlighted the difficulties caused by merging into one the 14.5 million cases of Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit and Housing Benefit.

Helen Field, chair of Unite Community, said: “A major difficulty is the transition where a six-week gap in payment could lead to rent arrears and even eviction for those claiming housing benefit.”

Despite various claims that Universal Credit is forcing people into debt, the government maintains it is a simpler system that encourages people to get into the workplace.

According to figures from the DWP from June 2017, 92 per cent of claimants received their full payment on time.