National minimum wage to increase to £11.44 per hour from April

The National Living Wage will increase to £11.44 per hour from April, it has been announced. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the recommendation from the Low Pay Commission - an increase of £1.02 from the current rate of £10.42, has been accepted.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “Next April all full-time workers on the National Living Wage will get a pay rise of over £1,800-a-year. That will end low pay in this country, delivering on our manifesto promise. The National Living Wage has helped halve the number of people on low pay since 2010, making sure work always pays.”

The national living wage is the minimum pay that people over the age of 21 must be paid for their work. The national minimum wage rates apply to people under the age of 21. The changes announced today are estimated to have an impact on almost two million people.