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Britons must increase their work ethic in order to compete on a global scale, a shadow minister has suggested.
Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp said there were nine million working-aged adults in the UK not in employment and that the UK “needs everyone to make a contribution” to keep up with countries like China and India.
The latest figures show Britain’s jobless rate rose unexpectedly and the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by the most since the height of the pandemic.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment increased to 4.4 per cent in the three months to November, up from 4.3 per cent in the three months to October.
The number of workers on payrolls also plunged by 47,000 during December to 30.3 million – the biggest drop since November 2020.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Mr Philp said he had worked hard to set up businesses, adding: “It’s worked for me, it can work for the country as well.”
Before moving into politics, he founded travel and finance companies. Mr Philp claimed that while working at Sainsbury’s, delivering newspapers, and cleaning people’s vehicles in his early teens, he cultivated a strong work ethic.
“I found that working hard brought its own reward and I’ve kept doing that ever since,” he said.
“It is something I would like to infuse more into our national culture as well.”
Asked if he thought a belief in hard work was something that was missing in Britain, he replied, “I do a bit.”
The shadow home secretary added: “We need a work ethic, we need everybody to be making a contribution.”
Following Mr Philp’s comments, a Labour spokesperson said: “After the Conservatives’ economic failure left working people worse off, it takes some real brass neck for the Tory top team to tell the public that it’s really all their fault.
“It’s the same old Tories. They haven’t changed and they’ve learned nothing.”
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper also criticised Mr Philp, saying his own “work ethic” as chief secretary to the Treasury under Liz Truss had “crashed the economy in just 39 days”.
She added: “The British public will no doubt take his advice with a bucketload of salt. The Conservatives could do with showing a bit more humility after trashing the economy and leaving the NHS on its knees.”
Asked about Mr Philp’s comments, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told broadcasters: “I think everybody should be working hard, including myself.”
