Minister insists Labour will not apply national living wage to all over-18s before election – UK politics live
Torsten Bell says Labour remains committed to equalising minimum wage rates, but not to a fixed timetable before the next election.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The story tracks a Labour split over whether the party’s manifesto commits it to extend the national living wage to all adults before the next election. Torsten Bell says the pledge stands, but the timetable is left to the Low Pay Commission.
Labour promised to make pay rules fairer for adults. But a minister now says the promise did not say exactly when that would happen.
Another Labour figure wants to think again about how much younger workers are paid, because many young people are struggling to find jobs. The idea is that lower starting pay might make some bosses hire more young people, like offering a smaller first ticket to get into a fair.
But unions disagree and say cutting young workers’ pay would be wrong. So the fight is really about how to help young people get jobs without breaking a promise or lowering pay too much.
Analysis
What happened
Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, pushed back on the idea that Labour has promised to extend the national living wage to all over-18s by the next election. Speaking on the Today programme, he said the manifesto commits Labour to equalising the rates, but does not set out a deadline.
That matters because Alan Milburn, in a new report on the rise in young people who are not in education, employment or training, has suggested the government may need to rethink age bands in the wage system. His argument appears to be that different minimum wage rates for younger workers may be part of the problem if ministers want firms to hire more young people.
Bell tried to separate principle from timing. He said Labour still intends to remove the age bands, but wants the Low Pay Commission to advise on how to do it and to keep an eye on employment effects. He also pointed to the commission’s past finding that earlier increases for younger workers had not shown a clear hit to employment.
The row sets up a wider internal Labour argument. The TUC has already warned that cutting the minimum wage for young workers would be a mistake, so any move toward a different youth rate would be politically sensitive. The article frames this as an early sign of a bigger fight over how Labour balances fairness, labour market evidence, and its 2024 manifesto language.
Key points
- Torsten Bell said Labour is committed to equalising minimum wage rates, but not by a fixed date.
- Alan Milburn’s report on youth unemployment may recommend changes to age bands in the wage system.
- Bell said the Low Pay Commission should guide how any change is introduced.
- The TUC has warned that cutting the minimum wage for young workers would be a mistake.
- The issue opens a likely internal Labour battle over manifesto promises and youth employment policy.
