Fuel and travel costs are pushing prices up again
Thursday 5 November 2026
Inflation has risen to 3.1%, meaning everyday spending is getting more expensive just as household budgets are already under pressure.
Core inflation
A measure of inflation that leaves out certain prices, usually food, energy, alcohol and tobacco in UK figures.
What it means
Food and energy prices can move sharply from month to month. A commonly used UK measure of core inflation takes food, energy, alcohol and tobacco out of CPI or CPIH to show what is happening to the remaining prices. It does not mean those excluded costs are unimportant to households, and it does not remove every temporary price change.
Example
A jump in petrol prices may push up the overall inflation figure while having no direct effect on a core measure that excludes energy. Other prices might still rise indirectly later.
Why it matters
Looking at both figures can help show whether price increases extend beyond a few excluded categories.
Related terms
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Consumer Prices Index (CPI)
A UK measure of how prices change for a wide range of things people buy.
Read more -
Consumer Prices Index including housing costs (CPIH)
A UK measure of price changes like CPI, with an added measure of the cost of living in a home you own and Council Tax.
Read more -
Inflation
A general rise in prices over time.
Read more
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News
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Guides and insights
Analysis
Clear, accessible analysis of the economic issues shaping everyday life
Living standards
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Comparing the cost of everyday life across generations, from bread and beer to buying a home.
Food & prices
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How farming, energy, transport and supermarket competition shape the price on the shelf.
Prices & inflation
Inflation is falling. What happens next?
What slower price rises mean for wages, purchasing power and economic recovery.
Shared prosperity
What would shared prosperity look like?
Beyond GDP: how we could measure economic success through security, opportunity and living standards.
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