The inflation surge is now upon us. The CPI rate again “surprised” to the upside – Britain is the only major economy in the world to have inflation doing this. But given that the Bank of England’s printing presses have been working overtime to fund a fiscally irresponsible government then little wonder things are different here. To understand just how unusual the UK situation is, consider the below graph: despite suffering the longest recession in G20, we have one of highest rates of inflation in the developed world.
The next few months will see this push higher, potentially reaching 4 percent in March and busting the 2 percent target. Without the temporary VAT cut, inflation would never have dropped below the 2 percent target rate the Bank of England is mandated to follow – so, in a way, the VAT cut helped Brown justify turning on the Bank of England’s printing presses.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate, free for a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.
UNLOCK ACCESS Try a month freeAlready a subscriber? Log in