Inflation soared to 9% year-on-year in April in the UK, a 40-year record largely due to energy prices, which add to the cost-of-living crisis.
At the end of March, inflation for the previous 12 months was 7%, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) said in its monthly report.
The ONS points out that the April figure is the highest since there are statistics on inflation in the country, starting in 1989, but according to estimates this index “should be the highest (…) since 1982”.
“Inflation rose sharply in April, driven by a sharp rise in electricity and gas prices due to an increase in the government cap on tariffs,” said Grant Fitzner, chief economist at ONS.
“The sharp year-on-year increases in the prices of metals, chemicals and crude oil also continued, as did higher prices for products leaving factories,” he added.
Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that “countries around the world face rising inflation” and that the UK’s April index comes from the cost of energy, driven by prices on world markets.
“We cannot fully protect the population from global challenges, but we are providing significant support where we can, and we are willing to do more.”
Criticism is increasingly intense in the country and several NGOs denounce the insufficient action of the government in the cost of living crisis, at a time when millions of Britons are forced to limit spending on meals or heating.
On Monday, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey called the situation “apocalyptic” for food prices and warned that inflation, which is expected to exceed 10% by the end of the year in the UK, could still be higher if Ukraine is unable to export its crops.
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