British annual wage growth, excluding bonuses, was 3.5% in the second quarter, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.
Economists polled by Reuters had mostly expected regular wage growth of 3.4%.
The Bank of England is closely watching whether the energy price jump caused by the Iran war is turning into longer-term inflation pressures in the economy.
Financial markets on Monday showed one 0.25 percentage-point interest rate hike priced by the end of 2026.
