UK Treasury chief says he’ll hike the minimum wage but rules out tax cuts while inflation stays high

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief is announcing a hike in the national minimum wage. Jeremy Hunt will tell the Conservative Party’s annual conference that the hourly rate for workers 23 or older will rise in April from 10.42 pounds, or $12.70, to at least 11 pounds, about $13.40. Hunt says that means a pay raise for more than 2 million workers. The announcement comes as the Conservatives try to persuade voters they are on the side of those who are struggling financially. But Hunt on Monday ruled out tax cuts, saying they would fuel inflation. The right-of-center Conservatives have been in power since 2010 but lag far behind the center-left opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.