The unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in the three months to December in a humiliating blow to Rachel Reeves. It marks its highest level since the three months to February 2021. Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the latest rate increased from the 5.1% seen over the three months to November.
ONS Director of Economic Statistics Liz McKeown said: "The number of workers on payroll fell further in the final quarter of the year, reflecting weak hiring activity, although it is largely unchanged in the latest month.
