London - British pay growth outstripped a dwindling inflation rate by the widest margin since before the financial crisis in December, several measures of earnings showed, giving many households a boost ahead of elections in May.
The Office for National Statistics also said on Wednesday that the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 5.7%, its lowest level in more than six years, as the recovery in the country's labour market extended its nearly two-year run.
Sterling hit a seven-year high against the euro while government bond prices fell to their lowest level so far this year.