THE Minimum Wage (Amendment) Bill, proposed by backbencher Christopher Chope, has just had its second reading in the Commons.

The veteran backbench MP believes that wages should be allowed to reflect local labour markets.

Nice try. This bill reminds us what the Tories are all about and is just what unscrupulous employers have been waiting for.

Chope by name, Chop by nature – this is just the first foot in the door to abolish the minimum wage altogether.

Thankfully, this bill has been dropped, yet is set to be replaced by a new reading in the spring when Chope intends to unveil his new pet project – a minimum wage training bill.

Stephen Dixon, Redcar.