Labour’s pledge to level-up minimum wage for under-20s before next election in doubt

Chancellor John Healey fails to guarantee equalisation with adult wage will happen in timeframe set out in manifesto

Labour looks less likely to meet its manifesto pledge to equalise the minimum wage for younger workers before the next election, after the chancellor failed to guarantee the rise would happen within that timeframe.

John Healey said on Sunday his party was “prepared to take hard decisions about the priorities in government”, including possible spending cuts.

His comments came as a former adviser to Andy Burnham, the economist Andy Haldane, warned that UK public finances were in a perilous state and the government was “on a precipice” of a Liz Truss-style meltdown.