Real living wage to rise by almost 7% in boost for low-paid UK workers

Hourly rate to increase by 95p to 14.80 in London and by 85p to 13.45 for the rest of the country

Almost half a million workers are to receive a pay boost after it was announced that the real living wage paid voluntarily by 16,000 UK companies will rise to 13.45 an hour.

Distinct from the national living wage, which is a statutory minimum, the real living wage is calculated each year based on the cost of essentials, and is paid by more than half of the companies in the FTSE 100.