Labour U-turn on a four-day week

LABOUR could bring in a four-day week, John McDonnell said yesterday despite his party having ruled out the policy.

The shadow chancellor bemoaned the fact that British employees work the longest hours in Europe. And he said that Labour could head into the next general election with a pledge to give them a three-day weekend.

His comments come just days after the party furiously denied that the policy was under examination.

Mr McDonnell was asked directly about whether a Jeremy Corbyn-led government could bring in a four-day week on the BBC’s Sunday Politics.

He replied that workers should get some of the benefits from the rise of automation and artificial intelligence.

‘That might mean reducing hours of work,’ he said. ‘We are a long-hours economy – we work the longest hours in Europe and yet we are less productive.’

Asked directly if this could mean a four-day week is in the manifesto, he said: ‘We will see how it goes.’

Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: ‘Of course businesses should look at using technology and AI to improve productivity in our economy, as the UK lags behind our competitors on the global stage. But it’s hard to see how this can be achieved by simply reducing working hours.’