LONDON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Britain's consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.1 percent year-on-year in August, up from 2.9 percent in July, data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Wednesday.
On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.5 percent in August, compared with a rise of 0.3 percent at the same time of 2025.
"Sharp price rises for petrol and diesel pushed inflation up again in August," said Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the ONS. Higher airfares, particularly for long-haul journeys, also contributed to the increase, he noted.
"Another inflation rise in August, with CPI hitting 3.1 percent, confirms the worrying price pressures looming over the UK economy right now," Stuart Morrison, research manager at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), commented.
BCC's latest economic forecast suggests CPI will rise further over the final few months of the year, driven by oil price volatility and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. As a result, higher domestic food costs, are a possibility, Morrison added. ■