Badenoch Proposes £2.3bn Cut to Employer National Insurance for Young Workers

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has announced a proposal to cut employer national insurance contributions on jobs held by young workers, in a plan reported to be worth £2.3bn, according to the Guardian's live UK politics coverage.

Under the proposal, the party would halve the rate of employer national insurance applied to young people's jobs, in what Badenoch is framing as a measure aimed at encouraging businesses to hire younger staff.

Speech timing still unclear

Asked whether further tax cuts would be unveiled in her party conference speech, Badenoch said she would have to wait until the speech itself. Reports on the timing of that address varied: one broadcast interview placed it at 11:15am, while another appearance suggested a start time of 12pm.

The announcement comes amid broader discussion of the Conservative Party's economic policy platform as it seeks to differentiate itself from the governing Labour Party and from Reform UK and the Greens, according to the same live coverage.

No further detail on how the £2.3bn policy would be funded was given in the material reviewed for this article.