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Minimum wage raised

The national minimum wage was raised yesterday, following an announcement from prime minister Gordon Brown.

Adults' hourly rates were increased from £5.52 to £5.73.

Workers aged from 18 to 21 will now see a 17p hourly increase, with the base now set at £4.77 - and under-18s will also see a rise from £3.40 to £3.53.

The government also said that it planned to crack down on employees who did not follow these new rules.

Commenting, business secretary John Hutton said: "The national minimum wage remains one of the most important rights introduced by the government in the last decade.

"I am proud of the minimum wage; it makes a real difference to the lives of many of our lowest-paid workers and protects them from exploitation."

The increased salaries could see many finding it easier to make their loan repayments and to pay household bills.

According to the government, around one million Britons will benefit from the change.

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