UK inflation could have ticked higher last month, as Christmas getaways helped fuel price rises at the end of the year, economists have said. Some economists are expecting the rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation to have risen in December after falling sharply the previous month. Andrew Goodwin, chief UK economist for Oxford Economics, said he thought the slowdown in the rising cost of living was “temporarily halted” in December. On the other hand, analysts for Barclays said they thought inflation would remain unchanged at 3.2% in December. But experts said they thought inflation was still heading downwards this year.

Source: Express January 18, 2026 09:12 UTC