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Philip Hammond claims 'there are no unemployed people' ahead of budget Philip Hammond claims 'there are no unemployed people' ahead of budget
(35 minutes later)
The Chancellor is under pressure ahead of this week’s make-or-break Budget, after claiming: “There are no unemployed people”. Philip Hammond is under pressure ahead of this week’s make-or-break Budget after he claimed: “There are no unemployed people”.
Philip Hammond made the statement as he painted a rosy picture of an economy bouncing back from the long downturn, with both inflation and the deficit falling. The Chancellor was accused of being "out of touch" as he painted a rosy picture of an economy bouncing back from the long downturn, with both inflation and the deficit falling.
However, the most recent unemployment figures show the jobless count stood at 1.42m between July and September this year. However, the most recent unemployment figures show the jobless count stood at 1.42 million between July and September this year.
Mr Hammond later sought to clarify his comments, on the BBC Andrew Marr’s programme, to argue that unemployment was at a near-record low. Mr Hammond later sought to clarify the remark, made on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, to argue unemployment was at a near-record low.
More follows… His comment came as he denied plans to put driverless cars on British roads by 2021 would leave taxi and lorry drivers out of work.
"I remember 20 years ago we were worrying about what was going to happen to the million shorthand typists in Britain as the personal computer took over," he told Mr Marr. "Well, nobody has a shorthand typist these days.
"Where are all these unemployed people? There are no unemployed people."
Labour immediately seized upon the remark, with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell tweeting: "The Chancellor thinks there are no unemployed people in this country. Completely out of touch."
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Debbie Abrahams wrote: "Seriously??"
Mr Marr described the Chancellor's comment as "extraordinary" and asked if the 1.42 million unemployed people had been "forgotten by the government".
"No, they haven't been forgotten by this government," replied Mr Hammond. "It was the last Labour government that abandoned the unemployed, ignored them, dumped them on welfare."
He added: "Unemployed is at record lows, the lowest it's been since the 1970s."