Chris Leslie MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responding to today’s analysis from the Office for National Statistics on falling real wages, said:

“The Tories are so out of touch they deny there’s a cost-of-living crisis. But these figures show the biggest fall in real wages since records began 50 years ago.

“Wages after inflation have fallen by 2.2% a year since 2010. But while working people are worse off under David Cameron he has chosen this time to give the richest one per cent of earners a huge tax cut.

“Labour will act to ensure we earn our way to higher living standards for all and tackle the cost-of-living crisis. We will freeze energy prices until 2017, expand free childcare to make work pay, boost the minimum wage and promote the living wage. And we will balance the books in the next Parliament by making fairer choices, including by reversing David Cameron’s tax cut for millionaires.”