THE Bank of England has been urged to continue lowering interest rates this week after official figures today revealed an unexpected rise in wages.

Office for National Statistics figures showed real wages are now £23 a week higher in real terms than they were at the start of the global financial crisis in August 2008.

The growth of 5.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 is higher than the 4.9 per cent in the previous three months and was driven largely by the private sector.