The economy: how 14 years of Tory rule have changed Britain – in charts

The effects of austerity, Covid, war and the cost of living crisis are still haunting government and domestic finances

While inflation figures usually generate a news story in their own right, last month's figures led to the biggest news line of them all.

Rishi Sunak's surprise announcement that he would hold a snap election on 4 July came hours after April's inflation figures were announced. They were widely reported to have heavily influenced his decision to take the country to the polls.