British inflation rate rises to 2.1% in July

LONDON -- The consumer prices index (CPI) in Britain rose to 2.1 percent year-on-year in July, higher than the 2 percent seen in June, the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Wednesday.

Data from the ONS showed that the price rise of games, toys and hobbies, and accommodation services made a large contribution to the inflation increase.

The largest upward contribution came from housing and household services, with prices rising by 1.9 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, according to the ONS, average house prices across Britain rose by 0.9 percent in the year to June 2019 and remained unchanged from May.

The lowest annual growth occurred in London, with prices falling by 2.7 percent over the year to June 2019.

"The inflation rate increased slightly, with computer games, consoles and hotel prices rising more than they did last year ... Conversely, air, international rail and sea fares did not rise by as much as 12 months ago," said Chris Jenkins, assistant head of inflation at the ONS.

"Overall house prices growth was unchanged from May, but in London annual growth was negative once again, decreasing for the 16th month in succession," Jenkins said.

"House price growth was strongest in Wales with the increase in England driven by the Midlands," Jenkins said.

James Smith, developed markets economist in financial services firm ING headquartered in Amsterdam, said that "the reasons behind the unexpected increase in headline UK inflation in July were undoubtedly quirky. And while CPI has the potential to ease in coming months, we suspect the Bank of England will continue to focus on the strong wage growth backdrop."

"Unlike in other global economies, a UK rate cut seems unlikely in the near term," Smith said.