Number of Britons on poverty pay set to hit 5.1 million next year

Exclusive: Another 1.6 million people will be pulled below real living wage rates, research shows

More will be pulled into low pay problems by soaring inflation (PA)

The number of Britons earning less than the real living wage is set to soar to 5.1 million next year, new research shared with The Independent has found.

Around 3.5 million workers currently earn less than the real living wage – the sum paid voluntarily by thousands of UK employers based on what people need to afford basic living costs.

But the Living Wage Foundation has forecast that another 1.6 million people will be pulled into poverty pay rates by the spring of 2023 because wages cannot keep pace with soaring inflation.