UK inflation jumped to 2.9 per cent in July, overshooting the Bank of England's 2 per cent target, as a £221 surge in typical annual energy bills heaped fresh pressure on household finances, official figures showed on Wednesday.
The latest reading from the Office for National Statistics followed a 2.6 per cent rate in June and came weeks after regulator Ofgem lifted its energy price cap by 13 per cent from 1 July, taking the average dual-fuel bill to £1,862 a year.
