Conservative ‘Alternative King’s Speech’ repeats inaccurate claim about Labour’s unemployment record

In its “Alternative King’s Speech” the Conservative party has claimed: “Unemployment has risen every month that Labour have been in Government”.

This is incorrect. The number of unemployed people and the unemployment rate have increased overall since Labour entered government in July 2024, but both have seen some month-to-month decreases within this period.

The latest Office for National Statistics figures show the number of people unemployed decreased by 89,000 between the three months toJanuary 2026 and the three months to February 2026, while the unemployment rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points over the same period. (Based on the figures referenced by the Conservatives in the document, it’s possible it was written before this data was public).

These figures also show several smaller month-to-month decreases in the number of people unemployed during Labour’s time in government, as well as some small decreases in the unrounded unemployment rate figures (when the headline figures rounded to one decimal place remained the same).

We’ve fact checked this claim several times in recent months after it was made by various Conservative MPs, including the party’s leader Kemi Badenoch.