Labour are going to crash the economy/jobs market.

As an employment lawyer, I contend that this ridiculous comment illustrates the level of extreme naivety of many people in the UK.

To those fearing that members of my sector are 'rubbing their hands' over Labour's new legislation, I wouldn't go that far, but let's just say, we are hiring appropriate candidates for the anticipated increase in volume of work.

That doesn't make me happy, though. Employers deserve better.

The economy was in an entirely different place in 1999.

It didn't thrive simply because Tony Blair introduced the NMW.

And it has been pointed out by plenty of others that while in essence being a laudable policy, the actual effect it has had is to keep wages artificially low, while they are topped up by the government with taxpayers' money.

I don’t follow politics as closely. Off the top of my head.

Under Labour PM Ted Heath - the 1973 the 3 day working week caused by a lack of energy with dwindling reserves of fuel exacerbated by the Minor’s strike of 1972.

Overspending in good times meaning there was no money saved for good times with the 2008 global financial crisis. The famous letter left for the conservatives “I’m afraid there is no money”.

Tony Blair’s PFI hospital financing scandal, the consequences of which is still felt to this day, 25 plus years on.

The lack of confidence in the current Labour government with their on the back of a postage stamp decisions just over 100 days in.

I agree your list is incomplete and Labour’s list will be shorter just by dint of them being fewer years in office.

Both parties are equally clueless imo.

"Labour are going to crash the economy/jobs market."

Nope.

The Tories did that when they caused the 20 odd percent inflation by their "dash for growth" budget in the early 70s.

The Tories did that by trashing the economy in the early 80s deliberately to destroy town and communities.

The Tories did that withe Lawson's reckless budget in 87/88 that caused double digit inflation

The Tories did that when they followed that up with a huge slump in 91/92/93 - their second recession of that administration.

The Tories did they when they humiliatingly had to crash sterling out of the ERM in 93.

The Tories did that with their pointless and harmful "austerity" under Osborne and Cameron after Brown and Darling had lead the world in recovery and mitigation of the GFC - caused by the Tories' friends in banking and finance ofc.

The Tories did that when the clown Truss did what she did when those idiots voted her in for those 40 odd days.

And the Tories did that when they wasted billions and billions of £ on covid and the contracts with their mates and the shambolic administration of recovery loans and the covid app.

That's a quick and incomplete list just off the top of my head of why your perspective and original point is completely wrong.

The Tories are clueless on the economy as experienced by ordinary people and have repeatedly demonstrated that - see above. The Labour Party are trying to fix the mess we're in.

So you want to get rid of him based on his performance and competence? You have valid reasons for ending his contract. You're not planning on dismissing him unfairly, or firing him to employ someone else on lower pay. What's the problem? - you performance manage them and if they don't shape up you can fire them.

They're even proposing a consultation on a statutory probation period.

I didn't say workers shouldn't have rights. They already have rights.

Instead we have a Government that was even contemplating penalising pension saving (when UK savings rates are already among the lowest in the developed world). What do they think pension funds do with invested money? A very strange way indeed to stimulate economic growth and investment.

There seems to be no joined up thinking whatsoever and no understanding of the very obvious fact that tax policies etc affect people's decisions and behaviour.

Where are the innovative policies to support and grow SMEs in key growth sectors? Where is the rationalisation of the income tax rates/ cliff edges? Where are the plans to enforce education laws, provide appropriate specialised schools to foster the varying talents the modern economy requires and link education properly with industry to provide high quality technical apprenticeships etc? Where is the support for start-ups and the investment grants to develop the technologies of the future? Where are the reforms to make it easier for smaller enterprises to raise capital so they aren't all sold off to huge international competitors? Why are large chunks of our energy, water and infrastructure run for profit by companies owned by foreign states so that they can subsidise these services for their own citizens while we receive sub-standard services at exhorbitant cost? What's their plan to close the trade deficit so we stop importing inflation due to reliance on imports of essential goods like food and fuel? What's their plan for water and food and energy security as the climate change issue bites? What are they doing to reform healthcare into the far superior models elsewhere in Europe with better health outcomes? What are they going to do about the shambles that is SEN provision in UK schools and lack of any suitable provision for children with different needs? What's their strategic plan for exports given their inexplicable refusal to rejoin the SM and CU and that the UK cannot fund itself without plugging the self-inflicted trade deficit? How do they intend to address the UK state pension and public sector pension ponzi schemes that cannot be sustained, like Australia did successfully decades ago? How do they plan to increase the UK birth rate given the importing immigrants will be nigh on impossible in 30yrs time given birth rates are dropping off a cliff everywhere outside sub-Saharan Africa?

These are the questions that need to be answered. Their only answer so far is tumbleweed accompanied by attempted distractions with trivial things that will make not one bit of difference to the UK's long-term prospects.

I'm having flashbacks to the 90s when everyone said this would happen with the introduction of the minimum wage. It didn't.

Was literally just coming on to say this. Reinforcing worker's rights is no bad thing.

I'm having flashbacks to the 90s when everyone said this would happen with the introduction of the minimum wage. It didn't.

Was literally just coming on to say this. Reinforcing worker's rights is no bad thing.

Decent employers won’t be worried about Workers rights

I remember that when the Minimum Wage was going to cause a load of business to go bust (it didn’t)

Workers should have rights, and should be protected. They should also be paid a proper wage - why do we, as taxpayers, need to pay benefits to people who work full time, so Tesco etc can pay their shareholders more ?

Too long we have been led by Capitalism .. and where had it got us .. low wages, low skill, high cost of living, huge amount of money being paid from the public purse to fund high payouts for shareholders, recession, broken public services, polluted rivers

The current system isn’t working, so quite right we should try sometime else. The first responsibility of any government should be the people.