Next boss, Lord Wolfson claims living wage is 'irrelevant invention' reducing job chances

The Chief Executive of Next has called the living wage ‘irrelevant’ and an ‘invention’ that will reduce employment opportunities.

The Living Wage is set at £7.85 an hour outside of London and £9.15 an hour in the capital. However, Lord Simon Wolfson, who received an £820,000 bonus the day after he made the comments, said that there were “a lot of people for whom £6.70 is enough to live on”.

He said: “I think the Living Wage is an invention by someone. It is not a reality. What is a living wage for a student is different for someone supporting a family.”