UK facing double-digit inflation, John Lewis head predicts

Sharon White says Ukraine war will exacerbate cost of living crisis, with CPI already at 30-year high

The boss of John Lewis and the supermarket chain Waitrose has said the UK is facing double-digit inflation as the war in Ukraine exacerbates the soaring cost of living, with prices rising in the supply chain and on shelves.

The prediction from Sharon White, chair of the John Lewis Partnership, comes with UK inflation ready at a 30-year high of 5.5%, and expected to rise to almost 8% in April, when household energy bills will soar by hundreds of pounds.