British inflation jumps to highest rate for 41 years as new austerity looms         

British chancellor Jeremy Hunt: 'Tough' budget decisions to be implemented.

Surging household energy bills and food prices pushed British inflation to a 41-year high, data showed a day before chancellor Jeremy Hunt announces "tough but necessary" tax hikes and spending cuts to control price growth.

Consumer prices rose 11.1% in the 12 months to October, the most since October 1981 and a big jump from 10.1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said.