A briefing to the Times confirms that Healey will use Wednesday’s budget to raise the minimum wage by about 3.9%. But he is slowing the catch-up for young workers…
The National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over is £12.71, which Healey will hike to about £13.20. The Youth rate is £10.85, which will go to about £11.27, the same 3.9% rise as the adult one. This breaks the pattern of large youth rises in the last two budgets…
The youth minimum wage rose 26% between 2025 and 2026. This both ends Labour’s promise to bring the youth rate up to the adult rate in this parliament and worsens the wage gap situation in the UK. The gap between Britain’s highest and lowest paid workers is smaller than in the Soviet Union…
The minimum wage is already two-thirds of the median wage in the UK. Madness….
Robert Jenrick told a rally on Monday:
“They say Chancellors are either undertakers or bookies. This one is an ostrich – and when the Chancellor buries his head in the sand, the rest of us, we’re left staring at his you know what.”