Back to the bad old days of the 1990s as recession looms for UK

Inflation is set to jump to 9% this week when official figures are released, and fears of a slump are growing

Britain's hard-pressed households could feel even worse done by this week when official inflation figures show just how fast the cost of living is rising. Economists are forecasting a jump from March's 7% to 9.1% in April.

If the pundits are right, the consumer prices index will be at its highest level since 1990, when the UK was struggling with one of its worst postwar property slumps and a full-blown recession.