Inflation soars to highest for more than a year on ‘awful April’ bill increases

UK inflation surged to its highest level for more than a year last month after households were hit by a raft of “awful April” bill increases, official figures have revealed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation hit 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March and the highest since January 2024.

Bills

Economists had been expecting a rise to 3.3% last month.

It comes after Ofgem’s energy price cap rose by 6.4% in April, having fallen a year earlier, alongside a raft of bill rises for under-pressure households, including steep increases to water charges, council tax, mobile and broadband tariffs.

ONS acting director-general Grant Fitzner said: “Significant increases in household bills caused inflation to climb steeply.

“Gas and electricity bills rose this month compared with sharp falls at the same time last year due to changes to the Ofgem energy price cap.

“Water and sewerage bills also rose strongly this year, as did vehicle excise duty, which all pushed the headline rate up to its highest level since the beginning of last year.”

‘Grim’

The Welsh Liberal Democrats describes the inflation levels as a “triple whammy”.

Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick MP said: “Today’s grim figures reveal a triple whammy on Welsh households – resulting from the UK Government’s disastrous jobs tax, Donald Trump’s devastating tariffs and April’s damaging business rates bill rises.

“Ministers cannot allow inflation to spiral as it did under the Conservatives, but they risk repeating their record for as long as the employer’s National Insurance hike remains in place. Just this week, we saw Welsh unemployment rise by 1.8%.

“It’s high time the Government saw sense and put in place a proper plan to boost our economy: scrapping the jobs tax, standing with our allies to end Trump’s trade war, and urgently negotiating a new customs union with the EU. We must see bold action to deliver relief for millions of hard-pressed households.”