Responding to the news that the National Minumum Wage is set to increase by 20p/ hour to £6.70, Jonathan Bartley, Green Party Spokesperson for Work and Pensions, said:
"Labour's rhetoric on the minimum wage is empty. Their aspiration to have a £8 an hour minimum wage at the end of the next Parliament is little different to what the other parties offer. It would be achieved to within a few pence anyway if the current rate of increase is maintained. No wonder it doesn't feature on Labour's new pledge card.
"Of greater concern is that this level would fall so far below a Living Wage, which even now stands at £9.15 an hour in London and £7.18 in the rest of the country - and will be significantly higher in 2020.
"The Green Party would make the minimum wage a Living Wage, with a target of £10 a hour. This would save £2.4bn each year in tax credits and generate another £1.5bn in income tax and national insurance contributions."