Owen Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the labour market statistics published today by the ONS, said:

“This fall in unemployment is welcome, but it is deeply concerning that too few of these jobs pay people enough to make ends meet.  That is why the figures show pay rates have fallen over the past two months.

“Given this pressure on incomes, the last thing the Government should do is take money out of the pockets of low and medium paid families. Yet that’s exactly what the Tories’ tax credit cuts would achieve. So they now urgently need to reassure the millions of families worried about their finances that no one will be worse off once they have completed their enforced rethink on tax credits.”