Boris Johnson stands accused of rowing back on his pledge to hike the minimum wage to $19.80 (10.50) as the government underlines it will only happen provided economic conditions allow.

Chancellor Sajid Javid unveiled in October Tory plans to raise the current National Living Wage rate of 8.21 an hour to 10.50 an hour within five years.

The party said the policy would benefit 4m low paid workers across the country, with some parts of the north set to pocket big increases during the parliaments five-year term.

Its clear its the Conservatives who are the real party of labour. We are the workers party, he told the conference in Manchester in October.

But guidance in Johnsons Queens Speech, which sets out the partys programme for government, leaves a get-out clause which would allow them to perform a U-turn.