UK inflation continues sharp descent to 6.8% in July

Lowest in 17 months

UK inflation continued its sharp descent last month, falling to 6.8% from 7.9% in June, its lowest level in 17 months.

On a monthly basis, CPI fell by 0.4% in July 2023, compared with a rise of 0.6% in July 2022, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed today (16 August). US retail sales beat expectations to rise 0.7% in July This drop came largely from electricity and gas prices, as gas prices fell 25.2% throughout the month, the highest recorded fall in the price of gas since the ONS data series began in 1988, providing a 0.4 percentage point drop to the inflation rate alone. Meanwhile, electricity fell by 8.6% over the month, meaning it provided a downward contribution of 0....