𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

An easing of inflation in May across a range of groceries and kitchen appliances helped offset the impact of a jump in the price of petrol and air fares, meaning the UK’s overall rate remained unchanged.

It is not the first time in recent months that price rises in some areas have been cancelled out by a slowdown elsewhere, meaning the UK’s headline rate of inflation has flatlined – in this instance, measuring 2.8% in April and May.

The rate stood at 3.0% in January and February 2026, while it held at 3.8% for three months in a row from July to September 2025.

The biggest upward pressure on inflation last month came from air fares.

While the cost of air travel in May was only 0.9% higher than 12 months ago, this followed a sharp year-on-year drop of 13.2% in April, which reflected the early timing of the Easter holidays.

Petrol and diesel prices continued to rise last month due to the effects of the Iran war and the disruption to the global supply of oil.

The average of cost of petrol was 18.9% higher in May than a year earlier, a steeper increase than the 16.6% jump recorded in April, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Diesel prices were 34.6% higher, up slightly on 34.1% the previous month.

Bus and coach fares in May averaged 3.7% more than they did a year earlier, up from 0.8% in April, while train fares swung from a year-on-year drop in price of 0.2% in April to a rise of 1.2%.

Margarine, pizza, tea, rice and chocolate were among the groceries that saw their cost accelerate last month.

Helping to push inflation in the opposite direction, meanwhile, was a slowdown in price rises across a range of other food and drink items.

These include coffee, fish, whole milk, frozen vegetables, pasta, meat, bread and potatoes – all of which recorded a smaller year-on-year rise in price in May than in April.

A handful of items saw a drop in their average price, with yoghurt down 0.6% compared with a year ago, cheese and curd down 2.4%, and jams and marmalades down 3.0%.

Kitchen appliances also contributed to the downward pressure on inflation.

The cost of a cooker averaged 3.6% less in May than a year earlier, a larger drop than 0.6% in April; the price of irons fell 4.8% year-on-year last month, compared with a rise of 2.0% in April; while fridges and freezes saw an annual rate of increase of 4.0%, down from 6.5% in April.

Below are some examples of how the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate has eased or accelerated.

Two figures are listed for each item: the average rise in price in the 12 months to April, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to May.

– Examples where annual inflation has accelerated, ranked by the size of the change:

Passenger air travel: April down 13.2%, May up 0.9%Margarine & vegetable fats: April down 1.4%, May up 3.9%Pizza & quiche: April down 4.4%, May up 0.7%Passenger transport by bus & coach: April up 0.8%, May up 3.7%Petrol: April up 16.6%, May up 18.9%Cinemas, theatres & concerts: April up 5.2%, May up 6.9%Passenger train travel: April down 0.2%, May up 1.2%Tea: April up 4.6%, May up 5.9%Rice: April up 0.1%, May up 1.4%Dried fruit & nuts: April up 3.5%, May up 4.4%Chocolate: April up 7.8%, May up 8.3%

– Examples where annual inflation has eased:

Irons: April up 2.0%, May down 4.8%Coffee: April up 6.3%, May up 2.5%Fish: April up 5.7%, May up 2.1%Whole milk: April up 10.7%, May up 7.2%Cookers: April down 0.6%, May down 3.6%Frozen vegetables (not including potatoes): April up 3.7%, May up 1.1%Refrigerators & freezers: April up 6.5%, May up 4.0%Cheese & curd: April no change, May down 2.4%Jams, marmalades & honey: April down 0.8%, May down 3.0%Pasta & couscous: April up 6.1%, May up 4.1%Meat: April up 3.6%, May up 2.3%Breakfast cereals: April up 4.7%, May up 3.5%Bread: April up 2.0%, May up 1.0%Potatoes: April up 1.5%, May up 0.5%