Rachel Reeves, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to David Cameron’s comments on jobs, said:

“Re-heated and empty announcements from David Cameron will mean little to working people whose wages are on average £1600 a year lower. The government’s failure on low pay has seen a 44 per cent rise in the number of people paid less than a living wage under David Cameron.

“It’s time for the Tories to come clean about how working families, children and disabled people will be hit by their secret plan to cut £12billion from the social security budget.

“A Labour government will raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour, invest in skills, cut business rates for small firms, give tax rebates to firms who pay a living wage, boost apprenticeships and ban exploitative zero hours contracts.”

ENDS