Obviously this is a hotly contested title with a crowded field but Labour’s Zarah Sultana is looking to be in a class of her own. It was only a week ago that she served up a tweet which demonstrated an ignorance of economics that would have embarrassed my cat. But today she has trumped even that effort.
As you can see below, Zarah reckons we need a four day week. That is to say, employers would have to pay the same wages for only 4/5 of the effort. Effectively, this would be a 25% increase in labour costs. Well, it sure would give workers a lot more free time but not quite how the stupidest person in Westminster thinks.
Does the Coventry MP not realise that an awful lot of businesses are struggling to survive, making only a small profit, breaking even, or in many cases losing money and surviving on reserves or borrowings. Jack up the labour costs of all businesses by 25% and either they pass it onto consumers, so we all lose, or more likely that will simply push some businesses over the edge, as they are unable to increase their selling prices in the current climate. In which case, all their workers will have a lot more leisure time.
