UK unemployment hits highest rate in five years in fresh blow for Rachel Reeves

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Unemployment in the UK has increased to its highest rate in five years, according to official figures.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in the three months to December, up from 5.1% in the three months to November, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

The figure is the highest seen since January 2021, when the country was in a national lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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