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UK inflation rate rises to 3.5% ahead of Budget

2 reports1 sources10/21/2026 updated

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UK inflation rose to 3.5% in the year to September, the highest rate in nearly a year and above the Bank of England's 2% target, driven by higher petrol and diesel prices. Motor fuel prices overall rose by 29.8%, with the average petrol price increasing by 8.2p per litre to 169.5p per litre. UK government borrowing in September reached 25 billion pounds, up 1.8 billion from the same period last year, with borrowing costs increasing due to higher inflation. Core CPI stood at 2.8%, up from 2.6%, while food price inflation remained at 1.3%.

Written with AI from the reporting · updated 10/21/2026

Latest developmentOct 21, 16:35
UK inflation rises to 3.5% in September, highest in nearly a year
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  1. 1Unclassified fact stationOct 21, 00:00recorded Oct 21, 14:34single sourcerevised

    UK inflation rate rises to 3.5% ahead of Budget

    Read original source ↗ BBC BusinessReplay this moment in the explorer
    Evidence & revisions · 2 source records
    Subject：
    UK Office for National Statistics
    Action：
    released inflation data
    Object：
    UK inflation rate
    Occurred (fact side)：
    Oct 21, 00:00
    BBC Business ↗Report pageRevision 3 · currently revised
    Published (valid side)：
    Oct 21, 14:21
    First seen (known side)：
    Oct 21, 14:34
    BBC Business ↗Report pageRevision 2 · currently revised
    Published (valid side)：
    Oct 21, 16:35
    First seen (known side)：
    Oct 21, 17:37
    Fact stationSingle source · one-sided claimRevised

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Oct 21
  1. BBC BusinessRelated fact: single sourceSource report revised
    UK inflation rises to 3.5% in September, highest in nearly a year

    Report first recorded Oct 21, 17:37

    UK inflation rose to 3.5% in the year to September, the highest rate in nearly a year and above the Bank of England's 2% target. The increase was driven by higher petrol and diesel prices, which rose 29.8% year-on-year, while food price inflation remained at 1.3%.

    Read original source ↗
  2. BBC BusinessRelated fact: single sourceSource report revised
    UK inflation accelerates to 3.5% ahead of Budget, driven by fuel costs

    Report first recorded Oct 21, 14:34

    UK inflation rose to 3.5% in the year to September, the highest in a year, driven by sharp increases in petrol and diesel prices. The government borrowed 25 billion pounds in September, 1.8 billion higher than a year earlier, as higher debt interest costs pushed up by inflation contributed to the borrowing.

    Read original source ↗

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