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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Minimum wage up to £6.50 an hour | Minimum wage up to £6.50 an hour |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The national minimum wage will increase by 19p an hour to £6.50, the government has announced. | |
| The new rates will be implemented in October and will benefit a million workers. | The new rates will be implemented in October and will benefit a million workers. |
| Business Secretary Vince Cable said he had accepted a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission that the minimum wage should increase by 3%. | Business Secretary Vince Cable said he had accepted a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission that the minimum wage should increase by 3%. |
| It is the first time in six years that the rise will be higher than inflation. | |
| The consumer prices index (CPI) rate of inflation is currently 1.9%. | |
| The rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will go up by 10p to £5.13 an hour, a 2% increase. | The rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will go up by 10p to £5.13 an hour, a 2% increase. |
| The rate for those aged 16 and 17 will rise by 7p to £3.79, also a 2% rise. | The rate for those aged 16 and 17 will rise by 7p to £3.79, also a 2% rise. |
| Apprentices will earn an extra 5p an hour, taking their wages to at least £2.73. | |
| Living Wage | |
| "The recommendations I have accepted today mean that low-paid workers will enjoy the biggest cash increase in their take home pay since 2008," said Mr Cable. | "The recommendations I have accepted today mean that low-paid workers will enjoy the biggest cash increase in their take home pay since 2008," said Mr Cable. |
| He also suggested that all companies should consider helping their staff to share in the fruits of an improving economy. | |
| "I urge businesses to consider how all their staff - not just those on the minimum wage - can enjoy the benefits of recovery," he said. | |
| But the rise means the National Minimum Wage is still significantly lower than the Living Wage, advocated by many people as a practical minimum. | |
| In London the Living Wage is £8.80 an hour, and elsewhere it is £7.65. | |
| "Across the country people are struggling to make ends meet," said Dave Prentice, the head of the trade union Unison. | |
| "The sooner we move to a Living Wage the better," he said. |