The number of people unemployed in the UK rose again in the three months to September, although the 30,000 increase was the smallest since May 2008.

Unemployment totalled 2.46 million in the quarter, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The jobless rate remained at 7.8%.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit rose by 12,900 to 1.64 million in October. This was the smallest increase in 18 months.