Ministers were forced to offer rebel Conservative MPs concessions on key asylum legislation
Jeremy Hunt has responded to new ONS figures showing that unemployment has jumped above expectations to 4% in the three months to May (from 3.8% the previous quarter). Meanwhile, wages increased at the joint-highest rate on record.
The chancellor said:
Our jobs market is strong with unemployment low by historical standards.
But we still have around 1m job vacancies, pushing up inflation even further.
Our labour market reforms – including expanding free childcare next year – will help to build the high-wage, high-growth, low-inflation economy we all want to see.
