Today is the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the National Minimum Wage. Thanks to a Labour government – and in the teeth of Conservative opposition – the National Minimum Wage first started paying into people’s pockets in April 1999. Since then it has made a huge difference in making work pay and helping thousands of families out of poverty in Britain. It remains one of our proudest achievements.
Today is also the day in which a host of measures will begin to make a real difference to countless families, businesses and communities across the country.
The Labour Party recognises that we all owe a duty to each other – and that this is especially true during hard times.
Today, the basic state pension will rise to £95.25 – just one of the ways in which we are putting money into people’s pockets during times of need and reaffirming our commitment to those who have given so much to this country.
From today, people diagnosed with cancer will have access to free prescriptions – saving up to 150,000 people around £100 per year and fulfilling the pledge we made at conference last year.
And from today, full time workers will be eligible for an extra 4 days holiday per year – benefitting up to 3.5 million women and 2.5 million men.
These measures and countless others demonstrate our commitment to building a better society. This is something we should all be proud of.
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