Charlotte Edwards
Business reporter, BBC News
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A rise in the cost of household bills pushed UK inflation to its highest rate in more than a year.
Inflation was 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March, according to official data.
Water, gas and electricity prices all went up on 1 April along with a host of other bills, pushing inflation further above the Bank of England’s target of 2%.
The largest upward contributors to the rise were from “housing and household services, transport, and recreation and culture,” the Office for National Statistics said.
The rise means the Bank of England governor – whose job is to keep inflation at its target of 2% – will have to write a letter to the chancellor to explain why it is more than 1% over this and what the plan is to get it back to 2%.
