New figures from the Office for National Statistics show rate of unemployment rose to 5.1% in the three months to October, up from 5% in the three months to September. Tends to happen when you make employment more expensive…
Andrew Griffith, Shadow Business and Trade Secretary, said:
“Higher national insurance, rises in the minimum wage and more employment red tape have all pushed up the cost of hiring so employers are making do with fewer staff. This government must think jobs grow on the same tree as money. They simply don’t understand business.”
Vacancies are also declining. Even the Resolution Foundation blames tax increases…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”