George Osborne introduces new 'living wage' but cuts working-age benefits
by Nicholas Watt and Heather Stewart from on (#DNTW)
Chancellor portrays the Conservatives as the party of working people by declaring that the living wage will be introduced from next April
George Osborne has unveiled an unexpected boost for low-paid workers, introducing a compulsory national "living wage" in a budget that also contained an assault on many of the measures introduced by Labour to tackle poverty.
In a final flourish in the first Conservative-only budget in 19 years, the chancellor portrayed the Tories as the party of working people by declaring that the living wage will be introduced from next April at a rate of 7.20 an hour for people over the age of 25.
Related: Budget: key points at a glance
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