Keir Starmer was dealt another huge blow as Sky News issued an update about the rate of unemployment in the UK
Sky News was interrupted for a breaking news announcement as Keir Starmer’s government faced another setback. Presenter Matt Barbet paused the broadcast to announce that UK unemployment has risen to 4.8% in the three months to August, up from 4.7% in the previous quarter ending in July, according to the Office for National Statistics. He began: “Some breaking news to bring you now. The rate of employment in the UK has risen to 4.8 per cent. That’s in the three months to August. That compares to 4.7 per cent in the three months to July.
“Up point one of a point. UK average regular earnings growth fell to 4.7 per cent in the three months to August and was point nine per cent higher after taking consumer prices index inflation into account.” Joined by Housing Secretary Steve Reed, Barbet said: “Unemployment on the rise – not a good look.” The politician responded: “That’s right. It’s slightly higher than it was last month but it was too high then in any case.
Sky News announced that the rate of unemployment in the UK has risen (Image: Getty)
“The reason that this government is going for growth with such determination is that it’s only by growing the economy that we can create the jobs that people in this country need and that we can give people the pay rise they were denied for a decade under the last government.”
He added: “I’m out here today talking about how we want to increase house building. That’s not just homes for people to rent and buy at prices they can afford, but it’s construction jobs, engineering jobs, quantity surveying jobs all over the country that give people good, secure employment for the future and that’s what we need to see for the UK economy.”
This rise means 1.74 million people are now unemployed – an increase from 1.4 million just a year earlier. In total, 300,000 more people have found themselves out of work over the past 12 months, highlighting the growing scale of joblessness across the UK.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has come under fire from Conservatives and business leaders, who argue that rising employer national insurance contributions are making it more difficult to hire staff.
At the same time, Labour is pushing ahead with a new Employment Rights Bill aimed at strengthening workplace protections from day one of a job.
However, critics claim the move could discourage employers from taking risks on new hires, particularly younger workers, who may find it even harder to break into the job market.
