The cost to hire entry-level workers has jumped by 7% thanks to Reeves’ successive minimum wage hikes in her two budgets, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. No wonder the youth unemployment rate has risen to 15.9%…
The NIESR notes:
“Evidence across industries shows a clear relationship between exposure to the NLW and rising unemployment, with larger increases in unemployment in lower-paid sectors such as accommodation and food services. Higher labour costs have led firms to slow hiring rather than shed existing workers.”
Despite Starmer’s promise to “get Britain working”, the paper also expects the unemployment rate to hit 5.4% this year. Meanwhile, accounting firm EY expects GDP would rise to a measly 0.9% in 2026, slower than the 1.4% recorded last year. And this is before the full blow of Labour’s (un)Employment Rights Bill kicks in…
Shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns told Times Radio she would have put a precondition on a China trip if she were PM:
“I would have put a precondition that I was not going to go if I was prime minister, unless Jimmy Lai was coming home with me. I would also put a precondition in the six months leading up to the visit that I wanted a reduction in hostile acts against our country. But that’s not what we saw. And actually, in contrast, what we saw was clearly the Chinese Communist Party did put a precondition, which was that the new embassy in London had to be signed off. So why is it okay for China to set preconditions and to make very clear red lines about what they require for a visit, but we go without having put any ourselves?”