UK Inflation Holds Steady as Food Price Pressures Ease

Inflation in the United Kingdom remained at 2.8 percent in the year to May, as slower increases in food prices helped offset rising transportation costs, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Emer Moreau reported for BBC News.

In the year to May 2026, prices rose by 2.8 percent, unchanged from the 12 months to April 2026.

Over the year to May, transport costs recorded the fastest rate of increase, while inflation for meat, dairy products, and vegetables eased. Economists had expected inflation to rise to 3 percent in May and anticipated continued upward pressure from geopolitical tensions and higher energy costs.

However, analysts said a recently announced peace agreement between the United States and Iran could help limit future inflation increases.

Grant Fitzner, the ONS chief economist, said that higher airfares, vehicle taxes, and petrol prices contributed to inflationary pressures.

Inflation stood at 1.8 percent in January 2020 before falling close to zero later that year. It then rose sharply, peaking at 11.1 percent in October 2022 before easing to 1.7 percent in September 2024.

In the year to May 2026, prices rose by 2.8 percent, unchanged from the 12 months to April 2026.

Motor fuel prices were 24.6 percent higher in May than a year earlier, according to ONS data. Overall transport inflation reached 6.8 percent, the highest annual rate since December 2022.

However, Fitzner noted that higher transport costs were “offset by lower food prices, with decreases in inflation seen across a range of meat, dairy, and vegetable items compared to last month.”