Minimum wage to rise to £11.44 per hour

The minimum wage is to increase by more than a pound to £11.44 per hour from April next year.

The minimum wage, known officially as the National Living Wage, is currently £10.42 an hour for workers over 23.

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has decided the rate will also apply to 21 and 22-year-olds for the first time.

It means a full-time worker aged 23 on the wage would receive a rise worth £1,800 a year. A 21-year-old would see an effective £2,300 annual rise.