There is an annual change in Britain's consumer prices index.

Office for national statistics

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The inflation rate in Britain fell for the first time in almost a year in August, signaling that the rate may have reached its peak.

The sign of a change in the trajectory of inflation is likely to bring some relief to policymakers, but it won't make a difference to consumers. The Bank of England will remain under pressure to raise interest rates despite the fact that prices are rising at the fastest pace in 40 years.

The Office for National Statistics reported that the inflation rate fell in July. The inflation rate was brought down by a decline in the price of motor fuels and smaller contributions from the price of food and clothing.

The inflation rate went down in September 2021, when the effects of the end of widespread discounting in restaurants went away.

According to a forecast from the Bank of England last month, Britain's inflation rate was expected to reach 13 percent in October and then possibly rise again in January because of rising wholesale natural gas prices. Liz Truss, the new prime minister, said last week that she would freeze energy bills for the next two winters at an average of £2,500 a year.

The expected inflation rate was expected to be lowered by as much as 5 percentage points.

The analysts slashed their forecasts too.

Samuel Tombs, an economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday that inflation will peak slightly higher in October at nearly 11 percent.

The policy is expected to put more money in people's pockets and make a recession less severe.

Even if the overall rate doesn't go up, the policy could make high inflation more persistent. The freeze in energy bills will allow households to set aside less money for gas and electricity in order to spend it on other things. The central bank is under pressure to increase interest rates in order to control inflation. The inflation rate is set by the bank.

In August, core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose slightly from the previous month.

The impact of fiscal policy changes over the medium term is what the Bank of England cares about, according to Huw Pill.

The bank is expected to raise interest rates by half a percentage point next week. The meeting was put off until after Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

It is less likely that policymakers will need to tighten the economy by raising interest rates as high as 4 percent because of the shallow outlook for inflation.

Natural gas has been a major factor in the path of inflation in Britain. The impact on inflation won't go away even when energy prices go down. Businesses and workers will adjust their prices over time to make up for lost profits and diminished purchasing power caused by higher inflation. The effort to keep expectations low is the reason why central banks have raised rates.

Inflation in the United States didn't slow as much as expected. The S&P 500 index dropped more than 4%, its worst day in over a year, in anticipation of the Fed raising rates.

Many British consumers are not happy with the price increases. Milk, cheese and eggs drove inflation higher in August as the price of food rose at the fastest rate in 14 years.

In response to inflationary pressures, customers are buying less and looking for value for money. Food prices have gone up over the last year.

Wages don't keep up with high prices. Excluding bonuses and inflation, pay fell in the three months to July, one of the largest drops on record.

Several industries across the country have gone on strike to demand pay raises in line with the cost of living. The Felixstowe port, Britain's largest container ship dock, is set to begin another eight day strike later this month.