UK inflation jumps more than expected to 40-year high as food prices soar

The Consumer Prices Index rose 10.1% last month from 9.9% the month before, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.

Soaring food prices drove UK inflation back into double digits in September, intensifying pressure on the government and central bank to act.

The Consumer Prices Index rose 10.1 per cent last month from 9.9 per cent the month before, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday. That matched a 40-year high reached in July and exceeded economists expectations for 10 per cent.

The figures leave inflation well above the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target, adding to pressure on policy makers to lift the key rate significantly next month. The danger is that prices accelerate