Labour is accused of breaking its manifesto pledge as Healey refuses to promise young workers an equal minimum wage
John Healey spoke with Laura Kuenssberg as Chief Treasury Secretary Emma Reynolds also refused to commit, telling LBC the government had reduced the gap between youth and adult minimum wage rates "by a third.An Opinium poll conducted 28–30 October found 60 per cent of Britons believe the Budget merely tinkered with small things, failing to address welfare and defence.
Chief Treasury Secretary Emma Reynolds refused to commit to a timeline for equalising youth minimum wage on Sunday, hours after Chancellor John Healey told the BBC he would "take it one step at a time." Under Labour's 2024 manifesto, the party pledged to remove "discriminatory age bands" and close the gap between adult pay and the £11.27 rate for 18 to 20-year-olds before the next election.
Healey said there is 'no question about whether or if — it's a question of when', without fixing a date.
Angela Rayner, now Housing Secretary, warned as recently as June that the government must deliver on the promise.
Around a million young people are out of work, with Healey citing youth unemployment fears as justification for the delay.
