London CNN —UK inflation plunged to its lowest level in two years in October, allowing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to declare victory on his pledge to halve the rate of price increases this year. Services inflation fell but remained high, at 6.6%. “The UK economy is still very much facing stagflation and, in our view, the road ahead will likely continue to be bumpy,” said Julien Lafargue, chief market strategist at Barclays Private Bank. Stagflation refers to a toxic mix of high inflation and low, or no, economic growth. There is also evidence that higher interest rates are placing an increasing strain on the economy.

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Persons: Rishi Sunak, “, ” Sunak, Gary Smith, GMB, ”, Andrew Bailey, Alex Veitch, Sunak’s, —, Julien Lafargue, ” Ewan Mackay, Jeremy Hunt, Veitch Organizations: London CNN —, National Statistics, Bank of England, Chambers of Commerce, “, Barclays Private Bank, NatWest, Accenture, P, British Chambers of Commerce Locations: United Kingdom, Ireland, British