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Double blow to Healey as inflation rises to 3.5% and monthly deficit hits £24bn
UK NewsBusiness•October 21, 2026 at 2:21 PMNational

Double blow to Healey as inflation rises to 3.5% and monthly deficit hits £24bn

By Phillip Inman and Heather Stewart•The Guardian - UK News

Consumer prices rise by more than expected while government’s debt interest payments surge to record high for SeptemberBusiness live – latest updatesInflation surged to 3.5% last month while the government deficit was a worse-than-forecast £24.5bn, in a double dose of bad news for John Healey before next week’s budget.The Office for National Statistics said annual inflation rose from 3.1% in August, overshooting City forecasts of a rise in the consumer prices index (CPI) to 3.4%, as a result of the surging cost of fuel. Continue reading...

Consumer prices rise by more than expected while government’s debt interest payments surge to record high for September

Inflation surged to 3.5% last month while the government deficit was a worse-than-forecast £24.5bn, in a double dose of bad news for John Healey before next week’s budget.

The Office for National Statistics said annual inflation rose from 3.1% in August, overshooting City forecasts of a rise in the consumer prices index (CPI) to 3.4%, as a result of the surging cost of fuel.

Continue reading...

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