The number of unemployed people in the Uk increased by 281,000 to a 13 year high of 2.38 million in the 3 months to May of this year, the largest quarterly rise since 1971.

The figure was larger than expected and has cautioned optimism about the recovery of the UK economy.

In total, 7.6% of the Uk workforce were jobless, the highest level since January 1997.