Unemployment up again under Gordon Brown.

Oh an here is some more bad news.

The number of people out of work and claiming benefit in Britain soared by 244,000 between January and March to 2,215,000. This represents a rise of 12.4 per cent on the previous three months - the biggest quarterly increase since 1981. The jobless total is the biggest since 1996.

The unemployment rate is now 7.1 per cent, up by 0.8 per cent on the previous quarter.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance last month increased by 57,100 to 1,513,000. said the Office for National Statistics.

The number of people in work fell by 157,000 between January and March, while job vacancies were cut by 51,000 to 455,000, today's figures showed.

Average earnings fell by 0.4 per cent in the year to March, the first time it has ever been a negative figure, said the ONS.

Gordonomics in action. More lives destroyed, more businesses failed, more homes repossessed, more government spending on benefits.

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