Headline inflation rates have declined, but policymakers are closely watching other measures of price pressure that signal how deeply inflation has become embedded in the British economy. In June, some of these price pressures eased: Inflation in the services sector slowed slightly to 7.2 percent, and core inflation declined for the first time since January. In January, the government pledged to halve the inflation rate by the end of this year, which would mean a fall to 5.2 percent. This partially explains Britain’s relatively high inflation rate — which is higher than in Western Europe and double the rate in the United States — but there are other reasons that inflationary pressures in Britain are strong. The Bank of England raised its interest rate a 13th time last month, to 5 percent, from 0.1 percent in late 2021.

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Persons: Price, ” Andrew Goodwin, Mr, Goodwin, ” Andrew Bailey, Bailey Organizations: Oxford Economics, Bank of England, Employers Locations: British, Europe, Britain, Western Europe, United States