Rishi Sunak Mocked For Claiming He's Halving Inflation Hours After It Went Up

Rishi Sunak has been mocked for claiming he is halving inflation just hours after official figures showed it is going up.

Speaking during angry clashes with Labour leader Keir Starmer at PMQs on Wednesday, the prime minister said: “We are getting on. We are halving inflation.”

But this morning, the Office for National Statistics revealed a surprise jump in Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation from 10.1% in January to 10.4% in February.

The increase was driven by a shortage of vegetables which has pushed up food prices at the fastest rate for 45 years.

Speaking in January, the prime minister promised voters he would “halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security”.

Labour MP Kate Osborne challenged Sunak during PMQs over today’s figures which showed food inflation was at 18%.

“Millions are living in food and fuel poverty because of this government’s failures,” she said. 

“How on Earth can the prime minister claim his plan is working? Or is it in his eyes a success that so many people are struggling with their weekly food shop?”

Sunak said “no one wants to see people struggling” with bills including the weekly food shop. 

And he pointed the the forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) last week which suggested inflation would fall to 2.9% by the end of the year. 

But a Labour source said: “People can’t get a doctor’s appointment, can’t afford the cost of living and see criminals walking the streets with impunity. The prime Minister needs to get in the real world.”

Today’s unexpected resurgence of inflation could also strengthen the case for the Bank of England to further raise interest rates to keep a lid on soaring prices.