[John Healey]CHANCELLOR John Healey refused to say today whether Labour will meet its manifesto commitment to end the “discriminatory” minimum wage gap for young people.
In 2024 Labour committed to closing the gap between the adult minimum wage and pay for 18 to 20-year-olds, but in last week’s Budget, Mr Healey said that younger workers would see the same 3.9 per cent rise as older workers, leaving a £1.94 hourly difference between 18- to 20-year-olds (£11.27) and those aged 21 and over (£13.21).
Unions have strongly opposed the minimum wage gap for young workers and warned the government against breaking its pledge to equalise pay.
Asked whether Labour may break the commitment on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg today, Mr Healey said: “There’s no question about whether or if: it’s a question of when. It’s a question of how fast. And I want to make sure that we can look hard at those trade-offs that inevitably are there between jobs and wages.
“I want to take business, I want to take trade unions with me and with the government, because together we have to get into what at the moment is a moral shame on this nation: a million youngsters written off, without any prospect of being helped into work and making a contribution to this country for the future.”
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