Wednesday briefing: Why the UK’s inflation rate just came down to 8.7%
In today's newsletter: It's good news - but the figure is still a bit higher than expected, even as energy costs decline. As the latest data is released, we look at its ongoing impact - and what it means for you
Good morning. Today's newsletter comes to you a few minutes late so that we can reflect the latest UK inflation figures, released at 7am by the Office for National Statistics. It's good news: the headline rate has fallen from 10.1% to 8.7%, taking it into single digits for the first time in eight months.
There were widespread expectations of a real drop this time. Since the same thing was true in April and it didn't happen then, leading to Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey admitting there are very big lessons to learn" for its forecasting model, this news will have caused a sigh of relief at the central bank - even though the figure is a bit higher than the 8.4% the Bank expected, and food inflation remains very high, at 19%.
UK politics | Boris Johnson has been referred to police by the Cabinet Office over claims that he broke lockdown rules by hosting family and friends at Chequers during Covid. The visits to the former prime minister's grace-and-favour residence were found in his official diary by lawyers preparing his defence for the public inquiry into the pandemic.
Wales | Police are facing serious questions and community anger after taking almost 24 hours to admit potential involvement in the pursuit of two teenagers, whose deaths sparked riots in Cardiff. Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, were killed minutes after CCTV footage appeared to show them being followed by a police van as they rode together on an e-bike.
Migration | Suella Braverman has rushed out fresh proposals that stop most international students from bringing family to the UK. Ahead of the release of figures on Thursday expected to show net migration to the UK is more than 700,000, the government said that only overseas students on courses designated as research programmes will be able to bring dependants.
UK news | Disgraced former entertainer Rolf Harris, whose career as one of the best-loved performers on British TV ended after a series of convictions for indecent assault on teenage girls between 1968 and 1986, has died aged 93. He had been suffering from neck cancer.
US politics | The rightwing governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, will launch his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday evening in a live appearance with Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Twitter. Musk has previously expressed support for DeSantis as somebody sensible and centrist" but said he was not planning to make an endorsement.
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