Labour Party plans to dole out pay for no work… even for people who have a job
Business groups were horrified by the proposal, which had only been considered by the fringe Green Party until now
LABOUR is looking at doling out pay to everyone in the country whether they are working or not, John McDonnell has revealed.
The hard left Shadow Chancellor told the party’s annual conference he is studying a plan to bring in Universal Basic Income.
Under the policy, all means-tested benefits are dumped and replaced with a standard flat-rate payment for every citizen.
Business groups reacted with horror to the plan, nicknamed the ‘Money-for-Nothing’.
It is being trialled in the Netherlands, but only the Green Party has called for it in Britain so far.
Mr McDonnell - leader Jeremy Corbyn’s closest ally - said: “We’ll be taking a serious look at how to make the welfare system better support the self-employed.
“I am also interested in the potential of a Universal Basic Income - to learn from its potential from the experiments currently taking place across Europe.”
He also insisted the minimum wage will be pushed to £10 an hour under a Labour government.
Laying out another socialist vision, Mr McDonnell also told the party faithful it’s his ambition to shake up the tax system to shift the burden "away from those who earn wages and salaries and on to those who hold wealth".
Tim Thomas, Head of Employment & Skills Policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: “Whilst we are supportive of a national living wage, this proposal would be extremely damaging".
Tory member of the Treasury Select Committee Chris Philp MP said: “Labour’s latest economic experiment would mean raiding the pay packets of ordinary families.
“It will be the British people who will be the losers, as Labour will spend, borrow and tax even more than they did last time.
“Labour are divided, incompetent and a risk to our economy – and ordinary families would pay the price.”