Inflation highest for a year
At 1.2%, the annual rate of inflation in December under the Retail Prices Index was at a 12-month high. Higher travel costs were among the main contributors to the rise, offset in part by a fall in food prices.
Inflation under the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) — the government’s preferred measure — was at an 11-month high. The CPI rate was 0.2% against 0.1% the previous month.