FTSE 100 smashes 7,300 and pound slides to one week low as UK earnings growth slows

This will be worrying for families whose have still not seen their living standards recover following the financial crisis. “Next month’s Budget must set out a clear plan for preventing another fall in living standards. The pound slumped to a one-week low this morning after data from the ONS showed that British workers saw their pay grow more slowly than expected at the end of last year, ahead of an expected squeeze on their living standards from higher inflation in 2017.