Witham MP Priti Patel has slammed the Labour Government’s job-destroying policies as the latest unemployment figures published today show that the claimant count in Witham has risen by 120 over the last 12 months to 1,670, including 355 young people aged between 18 and 24. The figures are for April 2026, one year after the Labour Government introduced the ‘jobs tax’, breaking a manifesto commitment by increasing employers’ National Insurance Contributions and making it more expensive to employ staff. Nationally, the unemployment rate has risen to 5% and the outlook for jobs is negative with the impact of further tax rises and new regulations being imposed on businesses to be felt in the months ahead. Priti said:
“It’s shocking to see unemployment rise as Labour’s job-destroying, business-bashing and tax-grabbing policies are biting. Businesses in Essex and throughout the country are struggling to cope with the new burdens that Labour are imposing on them and are being put off recruiting new staff as they look to tighten their belts and save money. With the Labour Party focused on its own leadership campaign, our businesses are being let down and the economy is weakening. It’s only the Conservative Party that has clear plan to job creation by cutting taxes on businesses and regulation.”
