Owen Smith MP, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the publication of the ONS quarterly jobs and earnings statistics, said:

“It is welcome that unemployment has fallen slightly, after a sharp rise in the last set of figures.  However, people continue to struggle through a Tory decade of record low pay, which is resulting in earnings growth remaining far too slow.

“So the Government should use today’s Queen’s Speech to avert their plans to make matters even worse and ruin work incentives.  They could do this by adopting Labour’s call for a full reversal of the cuts to Universal Credit that will result in 2.5 million working families being left over £2,100 year worse off.”