Yvette Cooper wants care worker wage rise
Care workers should have a higher minimum wage, the Labour leadership contender Yvette Cooper has said.
She also criticised plans by Chancellor George Osborne to introduce what he called a "living wage", saying the proposals did not go far enough. And she called for "protest-free buffer zones" around abortion clinics to prevent women from being "intimidated or threatened". The other leader candidates are Jeremy Corbyn, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham. Mr Osborne pledged to lift the minimum wage from the current hourly rate of £6.50 to £7.20 from next April, gradually rising to £9 by 2020. At the general election, Labour pledged to lift the minimum wage to £8 an hour by 2020. Labour leadership contest At-a-glance profiles of the four contenders But Ms Cooper said the chancellor's figures should be higher and in line with those put forward by the Living Wage Foundation, which currently recommends £7.85 an hour, and £9.15 in London. She said the rise should be rolled out first to social care workers, and that it could be paid for by closing tax loopholes for large firms and hedge funds. For adults aged 21 and over the national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, but for those aged 18 to 20 it is £5.13. Miss Kendall has also campaigned on the subject, calling for new powers to create a "real living wage society". Repeating her "buffer zones" call, which she made last year, Ms Cooper warned against "US-style abortion wars" in the UK. She added: "No matter how strongly protesters feel about abortion themselves, they don't have the right to harass, intimidate or film women who need to make their own very personal decision with their doctors." Meanwhile, Miss Kendall and Mr Burnham have released new campaign videos in the battle to replace Ed Miliband as Labour leader. In her "open letter to the Labour Party", Miss Kendall says she is the candidate with the broadest appeal and says Labour needs to "regain the trust of voters who've turned their backs on us". "I wasn't born into the Labour Party, I chose it," she said. "Just like we're going to have to persuade millions of Britons to do at the next general election." Mr Burnham's video features testimonies from his friends and family.