Chuka Umunna MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, commenting on the government’s response to the Low Pay Commission’s National Minimum Wage recommendations, said: 

“This 20p rise falls far short of the £7 minimum wage which George Osborne promised over a year ago. Ministers have misled working families who have been left worse off. Where under David Cameron we’ve seen the value of the minimum wage eroded, we need a recovery for working people. 

"Only Labour has set a more ambitious target for the minimum wage which would see a rise to £8 by 2020, restoring the link between hard work and pay. We would also act to ensure the National Minimum Wage is properly enforced where a Tory-led government has failed to get to grips with non-payment. Currently 15 per cent of apprentices are not being paid the legal minimum, rising to almost a quarter for 16-18 year olds. 

"But the Tories have opposed our plans for better enforcement and an £8 minimum wage at every turn.”