According to the report of the National Statistical Service of the United Kingdom, the consumer price index in February in the UK showed an increase of 6.2% compared with 5.5% in the previous month. This was the highest figure in the last 30 years. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.8% after falling by 0.1% in January.
Analysts expected annual inflation to accelerate to 5.9%, and monthly consumer prices were expected to rise by 0.6%.
At the same time, the CPIH index (inflation taking into account homeowners' expenses for housing maintenance) was 5.5% after 4.9% a month earlier. In February, prices for this index increased by 0.7%.
Analysts believe that the growth of the consumer price index in Britain may even be above 10%, given the continuing rise in gasoline prices in the country due to anti-Russian sanctions imposed as a result of the events in Ukraine. Last week, amid increasing geopolitical tensions in the world, the Bank of England raised its base interest rate to 0.75% from 0.5% for the second time since February. Then the regulator warned that inflation could reach 8% in April.