British pay growth stayed stubbornly strong in the three months to November but there were more signs of a softening jobs market, according to data on Tuesday that reinforced the current outlook for Bank of England interest rates.

The Office for National Statistics said the rate of unemployment increased to 4.4% in the three months to November, up from 4.3% in the three months to October

Wage growth continued to rise in the UK, driven by strong pay rises in the private sector, official figures show. Regular pay increased by 5.6% on average between September and November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS),