Britain’s Treasury chief raises the minimum wage but angers some colleagues by ruling out tax cuts

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief has announced a hike in the national minimum wage. Jeremy Hunt said at the governing Conservative Party’s annual conference on Monday that the hourly rate for workers 23 and 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 and lag behind the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.