The following is an unedited transcript of the news release from the UK National Statistics.


In the year to June, the consumer prices index (CPI) rose by 2.4 per cent, down from 2.5 per cent in May. In the year to June, the all items retail prices index (RPI) rose by 4.4 per cent, up from 4.3 per cent in May.

Over the same period, the all items RPI excluding mortgage interest payments index (RPIX) rose by 3.3 per cent, unchanged from May.

CPI

The largest downward contribution to the change in the CPI annual rate came from housing and household services. Average gas and electricity bills both fell this month as a result of the continued phasing in of previous price reductions. Over the same period last year, average bills rose.

There were also large downward effects from:

Miscellaneous goods and services, with prices of personal care appliances and products, and insurance premiums, falling this year but rising a year ago;

Recreation and culture, mainly due to the price of audio-visual equipment and related products falling by more than a year ago, particularly for digital cameras, hi-fi equipment, televisions and prerecorded DVDs. There was also a small downward contribution from changes in the price of books, newspapers and stationery and a partially offsetting upward effect from changes in the cost of cultural services; and Alcohol and tobacco, where last year’s increases in the price ofcigarettes were not repeated this year.

There were also small downward effects from:

Food and non-alcoholic beverages, where prices rose by less than last year, particularly for fresh fish and shop-bought milk; and Communication, mainly due to cable telephone charges which were unchanged this year but rose a year ago.

The largest upward effect on the CPI annual rate came from transport, mainly due to fuels and lubricants, where the average price recorded for petrol across June rose by around 1.2p per litre, compared with a fall of 0.9p per litre last June. A further small upward contribution came from sea travel where fares rose this year but fell a year ago.

There was also a large upward effect from furniture and household goods with furniture and furnishings’ prices rising by a record monthly rate for June in advance of the usual summer sales period. There was a small partially offsetting downward effect from carpets, with prices at major chains falling by more than a year ago.

Small upward effects came from:

Clothing and footwear, where prices fell by less than last year, with the main upward contributions coming from women’s outerwear and, to a lesser extent, men’s outerwear; and Restaurants and hotels, due to changes in the cost of overnight stays in hotels, and services provided by restaurants and cafes.

RPI

The largest upward contribution to the change in the RPI annual rate came from housing. This was mainly due to an increase in average mortgage interest payments, with lenders passing on the remainder of May’s quarter point increase in the Bank rate. Mortgage interest payments are excluded from the CPI.

Further large upward effects came from:

Household goods, where furniture prices rose by more than a year ago, in advance of the usual summer sales period. There was a small partially offsetting downward effect from furnishings, with carpet prices falling by more than a year ago; and Motoring expenditure, with petrol and oil prices rising this year but falling a year ago. A partially offsetting downward effect came from motor vehicle purchase costs which fell by more than a year ago.

Small upward effects came from: