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The overall level of inflation remained at its target of 2% in June, though this masked a wide variation in the rate for everyday items, with price rises easing for some products but accelerating for others.
One of the sharpest jumps was in the average cost of hotels and other accommodation services, which rose 9.9% in the year to June, compared with an increase of 6.6% in the 12 months to May.
Breakfast cereals also saw an acceleration in prices, up 3.5% in June compared with a rise of 0.4% in May, along with fruit and vegetable juices (up 4.5% in June and 1.6% May); and ice cream (2.7% in June, 1.4% in May), according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
By contrast, the rate of inflation eased for tea (up 6.8% in the year to June compared with a jump of 9.8% in May), train travel (up 3.3% in June, up 6.3% in May) and frozen vegetables (3.8% June, 6.0% May), plus both women’s clothes (1.8% June, 3.5% May) and men’s clothes (2.8% June, 3.5% May).
A handful of items are recording negative inflation – in other words, prices are falling year-on-year.
The average cost of pasta and couscous was down 3.6% in the 12 months to June after rising 0.4% in the year to May, while margarine and other vegetable fats also switched from positive inflation in May (up 0.4%) to negative inflation last month (down 3.8%).
The price of rice fell more steeply in June (down 1.9%) than in May (down 1.3%), as did women’s footwear (a drop of 3.8% in June compared with a fall of 1% in May), butter (-5.2% in June, -4.4% in May) and whole milk (-6.8% in June, -5.5% in May).
Petrol and diesel showed differing trends last month, with the average price of petrol up 1.9% in the year to June, a smaller rise than 3.1% in the year May; while diesel saw an acceleration in inflation, up 4% in June after a rise of 1.1% in May.
Below is a list of examples of how the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate has either slowed or accelerated.
Two figures are listed for each item: the average rise in price in the 12 months to May, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to June.
– Examples where inflation has slowed, ranked by the size of the change:
Margarine & other vegetable fats: May up 0.4%, June down 3.8%Pasta products & couscous: May up 0.4%, June down 3.6%Tea: May up 9.8%, June up 6.8%Passenger transport by train: May up 6.3%, June up 3.3%Children’s footwear: May up 2.6%, June down 0.2%Women’s footwear: May down 1.0%, June down 3.8%Women’s clothes: May up 3.5%, June up 1.8%Potatoes: May up 7.6%, June up 6.0%Petrol: May up 3.1%, June up 1.9%Men’s footwear: May up 2.9%, June up 1.8%Men’s clothes: May up 3.5%, June up 2.8%Bread: May up 1.9%, June up 1.6%Eggs: May up 2.5%, June up 2.3%
– Examples where inflation has accelerated:
Hotels & similar accommodation services: May up 6.6%, June up 9.9%Breakfast cereals: May up 0.4%, June up 3.5%Fruit & vegetable juices: May up 1.6%, June up 4.5%Diesel: May up 1.1%, June up 4.0%Coffee: May down 0.4%, June up 1.9%Edible ices & ice cream: May up 1.4%, June up 2.7%Passenger transport by bus & coach: May up 8.4%, June up 9.6%Crisps: May up 1.8%, June up 2.6%Cheese & curd: May down 3.9%, June down 3.1%New cars: May up 1.8%, June up 2.2%
