The history of the national minimum wage
The national minimum wage has been at the heart of political debate even before it became law in 1998.
In the run-up to the 1997 general election, the Conservatives opposed the idea of a national minimum wage while Labour supported it.
In 2015, the Conservative government outlined their plans to introduce a new national living wage.
Employers will now have to pay workers aged 25 and over at least £7.20 an hour.