UK finance minister: halving inflation best way to boost wages

LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday said it was important to bring inflation down and not do anything that could further inflame it, after data showed the pace of pay growth in Britain had risen in the three months to November.

"The single best way to help people's wages go further is to stick to our plan to halve inflation this year," Hunt said in a statement.

"We must not do anything that risks permanently embedding high prices into our economy, which will only prolong the pain for everyone."

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)