Overview
- Sky News and other outlets report ministers are considering postponing equal pay for 18–20-year-olds or narrowing the change to those over 20, with a formal decision expected via the Low Pay Commission remit in the coming months.
- Keir Starmer says the commitment will be kept, Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens insists policy has not changed, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves declines to rule out a delay when pressed by reporters.
- Official ONS data show youth unemployment at 16.1% in the October–December quarter, the highest in more than a decade, with the UK rate now above the EU average of 14.9%.
- Business groups including the Federation of Small Businesses and UKHospitality warn rising wage floors, wider employment rights and higher employer National Insurance are reducing youth recruitment.
- Unions such as the GMB and TUC urge ministers not to backtrack on the manifesto pledge and dispute claims the policy destroys jobs, while the government highlights apprenticeship incentives and zero employer NI for the youngest workers.