UK November inflation lower than expected

The pace of UK inflation last month was lower than expected.

The Consumer price index (CPI) was down 0.1% in November from October to give an annual rate of 1.3%, the British Office of National Statistics said.

This is the first monthly drop in the CPI since July. It is under the Bank of England's new target of 2% and is viewed as easing the pressure to increase interest rates.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has remained below the 2% mark since May 1998.

The CPI had previously been known as the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), the eurozone's current equivalent main inflation gauge.

The easing in the annual CPI inflation rate last month was fuelled by smaller increases in the prices of clothing, footwear, recreation and culture.

The increase for recreation and culture costs was the smallest on record since the current series began in 1997.