A short history of the UK's minimum wage

MPs weren't the only people in the UK to get a pay rise this week. While our representatives in the House of Commons were given a 2.7 percent raise, the National Minimum Wage - or National Living Wage, as it is called for those aged 25 and over - saw an increase of 4.9 percent from £7.83 to £8.21. This will be worth £690 per year on average and will benefit about 1.6 million people. The minimum wage in the UK is now 20 years old, and as our infographic shows, today's basic hourly pay rate is considerably higher than the first version at just £3.60.