Major grocery store boss warns Britain is ‘sleepwalking’ into worklessness epidemic
Tesco’s chief executive Ashwin Prasad, who’s in charge of the nation’s biggest supermarket, highlighted that millions are out of a job and on benefits which harms economic growth
He fears the impact it will have on the economy(Image: Getty)
Tesco boss Ashwin Prasad has warned Britain is “sleepwalking” into a worklessness epidemic. The chief executive of the nation’s biggest supermarket highlighted that millions are out of a job and on benefits.
He said that economic growth was under threat because an increasing number of people were choosing welfare over work. Mr Prasad said: “We have been sleepwalking into a quiet epidemic that is keeping millions of people out of work.
“My perspective from leading a major employer in this country is that far fewer people are in work than there could be. This means… we are spending an ever increasing proportion of our national income on out-of-work benefits.
“We cannot afford to be a country that lets the next generation languish on the sideline.” Mr Prasad highlighted official forecasts that estimated Britain will spend £330bn on welfare this year,including £83.1bn on sickness and disability benefits that he called unsustainable.
He said this money could be spent instead on “investing in parts of national life that might stimulate investment and growth into the wider economy”.
His comments will come as another blow to beleaguered PM Sir Keir Starmer, who is desperately trying to cling to power in the face of growing pressure to quit.
Sir Keir is reportedly moving to the left amid pressure from Cabinet ministers and backbenchers, declaring he was a “working class” Prime Minister. He said that growing up his family “didn’t have enough money to pay our bills” and struggled to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir’s own allies have warned that he is “too weak” to sack bitter leadership rival Wes Streeting. He’s seen as a “zombie PM” following a string of failed coup attempts, which have been blamed on the Health Secretary.
One ally said: “I don’t think he can sack Wes. I don’t think he has the strength to sack anyone right now.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
