UK inflation climbs to 3.2% in Feb

LONDON: The consumer price inflation in UK rose to 3.2 per cent for the month of February even as the Retail Prices Index, which includes housing costs, dipped to zero during the same period.

The RPI has dropped to zero, reportedly for the first time in 49 years. In January, inflation stood at three per cent.

"Rising prices for food and drink, recreation and transport pushed Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual inflation the Government's target measure to 3.2 per cent in February, up from 3 per cent in January," the Office for National Statistics said in a statement today.

CPI inflation has climbed in February after falling for four successive months.

"Annual inflation measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) which includes housing costs such as mortgage interest payments and council tax slowed to 0.0 per cent in February, down from 0.1 per cent in January," the statement noted.

The largest upward pressure on the CPI came from food and nonalcoholic beverages while the largest individual factor was the price of vegetables.

Prices for fruit, mineral water, soft drinks and juices, bread and cereals and meat all recorded smaller upward pressures, but these were partially offset by coffee, tea and cocoa where prices fell this year, ONS said.