Hardworking people should not have to live in poverty in modern Britain, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has said.

The Labour frontbencher said work was simply not paying enough and pledged to ensure more better-paid, secure jobs across the country if his party is elected next year.

Speaking at Labour's annual conference in Manchester, he said: "We're meant to be a rich country but for too many people, work is simply not paying enough.

"The majority of people living in poverty in this country actually have a job.

"If you work hard day in, day out - you should not have to live in poverty in modern Britain."

The Streatham MP also warned of Ukip's attempts to exploit people's insecurities for its own agenda.

He went on: "Nigel Farage says he wants to keep the flame of Thatcherism alive. Well, to quote the lady herself, 'No. No. No'.

"We saw how Thatcherism divided and devastated so many of our communities across Britain. A divided Britain is not a stronger Britain.

"Now Ukip are seeking to take this division to a whole new level - scapegoating and setting different groups against each other. We won't stand for it.

"We can only build the economy we need by working together."

He reiterated the party's promise to raise the minimum wage, encourage employers to pay a living wage and ban zero-hour contracts.

Labour would also set up an inquiry into the "disgraceful blacklisting" of construction workers, he added, and reform the employment tribunal system so affordability is no longer a barrier to justice.

Later in his speech, Mr Umunna spoke about Agenda 2030, the party's long-term plan to support business and grow the economy within the continued membership of the EU.

This would involve doing away with the "snobbery" that says apprenticeships are not as important as university, he went on, and investing in high-quality apprenticeships and new technical degrees. He added: "I've talked about the importance of our businesses. I've talked about valuing the people who work in them.

"The bottom line is this - to be pro-jobs you have to be pro- the people that create them, our businesses. And to be pro-business, you have to be pro the people who work in our businesses."