Story perspectives

UK to raise living wage about 4% in April 2027

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026 · How we work

Same facts. Different interpretations.

How coverage differs

Left

Chancellor John Healey announced that the UK’s National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage will rise about 4 % in April 2027.
The budget also locks a 55-pence-per-mile mileage allowance for the first 10,000 work-related miles.
Tariffs on foods such as baked beans, gherkins and chocolate will be cut to lower supermarket prices.
The wage rise aims to ease living-cost pressures on families while ending larger percentage hikes for 18- to 20-year-olds.

Center

Chancellor John Healey announced that the UK’s National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage will rise by about 4 % in April 2027.
The rise for 18- to 20-year-olds is smaller than recent hikes, slowing Labour’s equal-pay agenda promised in its manifesto.
The National Living Wage will increase from £12.71 to £13.20 per hour, a 3.9 % rise.
Import tariffs on 100 food items will be dropped, saving households to £21 a year.

History

The Labour Party’s 1997 election pledge led to the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, which took effect on 1 April 1999 with a £3.60-per-hour rate for workers aged 22+. Championed by Chancellor Gordon Brown and overseen by the Low Pay Commission, the law was amended in 2016 to introduce a “National Living Wage” of £7.20, setting a precedent for today’s statutory wage rises.

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Food tariff cuts

Chancellor John Healey announced that the UK’s National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage will rise about 4 % in April 2027.
The budget also locks a 55-pence-per-mile mileage allowance for the first 10,000 work-related miles.
Tariffs on foods such as baked beans, gherkins and chocolate will be cut to lower supermarket prices.
The wage rise aims to ease living-cost pressures on families while ending larger percentage hikes for 18- to 20-year-olds.

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