Inflation eases to 10.7% but the cost of a night out surges ahead of Christmas
The rate of inflation eased to 10.7% from 11.1% last month, according to official figures showing that food and the cost of a night out continue to rise in price ahead of Christmas.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said falling motor fuel prices led the decline in the core consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation.
It reflected falling oil costs and a meaningful recovery in the value of the pound versus the dollar on which oil costs are pegged.
Overall, fuel prices rose by 17.2% in the year to November – down from 22.2% in the year to October, the ONS said.
It reported that the largest upwards contribution to the inflation number last month came from rising prices in restaurants, hotels, cafes and pubs – led by alcoholic drinks.
The ONS added that the annual rate of inflation in this particular sector of hospitality was running at its highest level since 1991, at 10.2%.
The overall CPI rate came in lower than economists had expected.
Many suggested we may now be past the peak, which was running at a 41-year high in October.
The cost of living crisis, however, shows little sign of easing up in any substantial way given that household energy bills are running at record levels, despite government support, amid the first cold snap of the 2022/23 winter.
The ONS said energy and food costs remained the main drivers of inflation, with food running at an annual rate of 16.4%.
Food inflation was running at 16.4% last month ahead of the core Christmas season
The Bank of England is widely expected by economists to add to the bills of borrowers on Thursday by raising Bank rate again as part of its battle against inflation.
A hike of at least 0.5 percentage points is forecast by the bulk of experts as policymakers across the West continue to bear down on the price threats posed to their economies from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The invasion in February exacerbated the rising tide of price rises caused by economies reopening after COVID disruption, as many commodities, including food staples, widely produced in both countries soared in cost.
The cost of manufacturing goods has added to the bills substantially too because of Russia’s historic role in supplying oil and gas – now reduced to a trickle in comparison amid sanctions regimes.
The Bank of England can do nothing to bear down on these prices, but it can act to take demand out of the economy – helping prices fall back – through Bank rate increases.
It believes that the country is already in the grip of a recession, defined by two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
A contraction in the third quarter of the year – July to September – is expected to be followed by a further dip in the current October to December quarter.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt responded to the ONS price figures by declaring inflation as “the number one enemy”.
He said: “The aftershocks of COVID-19 and (Vladimir) Putin’s weaponisation of gas mean high inflation is plaguing economies across Europe and I know families and businesses are struggling here in the UK.
“Getting inflation down so people’s wages go further is my top priority, which is why we are holding down energy bills this winter through our energy price guarantee scheme and implementing a plan to help halve inflation next year.
“I know it is tough for many right now but it is vital that we take the tough decisions needed to tackle inflation – the number one enemy that makes everyone poorer.
“If we make the wrong choices now, high prices will persist and prolong the pain for millions.”
A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.
The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.
Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.
The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.
In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.
He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.
Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.
“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”
He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”
At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.
The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.
Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”
The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.
Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.
Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.
On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.
Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.
After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.
Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.
She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.
Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.
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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.
She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.
He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.
She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.
“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”
Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.
She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.
Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.
Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.
The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”
Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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