Labour faces union backlash after minister says living wage extension to over-18s not certain before election – as it happened

Another leader of a union affiliated to Labour has condemned the suggestion from Torsten Bell this morning that Labour may postpone bring down the age at which workers get the full national living wage from 21 to 18 until after the next election. (See 9.23am.) Joanne Thomas, general secretary of Usdaw, the shopworkers union, said: double quotation markWe are deeply concerned by voices within the government suggesting that Labour’s manifesto commitment to end minimum wage rip-off youth rates should not be delivered in full. We are clear that the general election manifesto is for the lifetime of this parliament, and that is when the policy should be delivered. The government has made a great start by tasking the Low Pay Commission to equalise the over-18s rate with the national living wage, and some progress has been made. The vast majority of young workers are already paid the over-21 rate or above; legally allowing them to be paid less undermines their position. Thomas said her union also wanted to help young people into work and she said the government should support “good quality work”. That meant “full implementation of their Plan to Make Work Pay, improved access to rea