Emily Atkinson
Live editor

Figures released this morning showed inflation jumped to 3.5% in the year to April, driven largely by increases in household bills, energy costs, airfares and council tax.

The jump was greater than economists had predicted, though it's worth bearing in mind that the Bank of England has previously said it expects inflation to peak at 3.7% between July and September before dropping back to its 2% target.

So, yes, prices are rising - and more quickly than had been expected - but, as our deputy economics editor Dharshini David notes, economists expect many of the effects to be temporary.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was disappointed by the latest numbers. Speaking from a warehouse in London, she acknowledged her policies had "consequences" but insisted that they were necessary to stabilise the economy.

But it's not all doom and gloom. The average prices of petrol and diesel fell by 3p and 3.1p respectively, while clothing and footwear costs eased off by 0.4%.

And it's swings and roundabouts in the supermarkets - senior business and economics reporter Dearbail Jordan's looks at what was in and out of last month's inflation trolley.

We're ending our coverage now. This page was edited by me, with reporting from Thomas Mackintosh.

• Read more about today's figures in our main story
• Need a refresh on what inflation is? Check out our explainer

• A rise in the cost of household bills has pushed up the rate of inflation to its highest level since February 2024
• Inflation was 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March, according to new figures from the ONS
• Water, gas and electricity prices all went up in April along with a host of other bills, pushing inflation further above the Bank of England's target of 2%
• Chancellor Rachel Reeves called the figure "disappointing" and vowed to "go further and faster to put more money in people's pockets"

• Opposition parties were more critical. The Tories' Mel Stride said British families are "paying the price for the Labour chancellor's choices, while he Liberal Democrats urged "bold reaction to deliver relief"

Image source, Reuters

Among everything else that seems to have gone up, food price inflation also increased, rising by 3.4% in the year to April.

The ONS says that the price of meat, bread, cereals and - for some reason - mineral water grew.

But its not all bad. Price growth eased for vegetables, milk, cheese and eggs.

Sally Bundock
Chief presenter, BBC News Channel

I've been getting thoughts on the inflation rise from two analysts on the BBC News Channel's Business Today programme.

From a consumer point of view, Tom Pugh - an economist at RSM UK - says it's "obviously pretty bad news".

"The other thing worth pointing out is we had a very late Easter this year," Pugh explains.

"That means things like airplane prices were very very high compared to normal, things like package holidays were much much higher."

Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets, tells me markets are worried.

"We had been pricing in an additional two interest rate cuts at the back end of this year, that has now shifted to just one so there is a perception that this is going to be making a tangible difference to the outlook of Bank of England going forward," he adds.

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

Our deputy economics editor Dharshini David has mentioned that a rise in services inflation may keep the Bank of England from cutting interest rates again in June.

How come? Well, services inflation is something the Bank monitors closely because it gives a picture of how the UK economy is performing.

Britain is a services-led economy which means that more of our jobs come from providing a service rather than making a product.

The services measure strips out volatile areas such as food and fuel which can be influenced by events happening overseas, such as the Russia-Ukraine war.

Services is more influenced by domestic factors such as wages and employment costs for people working in a range of sectors including education, hospitality and entertainment.

Today's figures show that services inflation rose from 4.7% to 5.4% in the year to April, when higher National Insurance Contributions by employers came into force and the minimum wage increased.

Remember, one of the Bank's most important jobs is to keep inflation at 2%. If service inflation is growing, that makes the Bank's task more difficult.

Raphael Sheridan
Economics producer

James Cuthbertson says his brewery business will have to raise beer prices for the first time in two years because of his rising costs and wage bill.

“This is definitely the toughest it's ever been, and there's been some tough times, but certainly the rising costs have been crippling,” he says.

James is a partner at Lakedown brewing company, which officially opened as a craft brewer in 2023 and now owns a pub in Hawkhurst, Kent.

He says his main costs - water bills, yeast and hops - have all increased between 5% and 10%.

James says this has made it “difficult to be positive”.

“Everyone's having to pass costs onto consumers that don't have the money. So it doesn't work if we're getting crushed in the middle, and I think that's the biggest challenge,” he says.

James thinks this has changed the way consumers spend. “The pub industry is dying unless people do something about it,” he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Another pretty shocking figure in today's inflation data is airfares which, according to the ONS, rose by 27.5% in April.

While that looks startling, there is a wee bit of a disparity here.

This year, the Easter holidays fell towards the end of April, while in 2024 they straddled March and April so it is hard to really compare like with like.

Having said that, flights around these holidays are always more expensive so airfares will usually be one of the main culprits in bumping up inflation.

Ben Boulos
BBC Breakfast money and work presenter

It looks like a regular supermarket. Shelves full of products, food aisles and household goods.

But this community grocery in Wythenshawe, south Manchester, is more than just that: to its members, it’s a lifeline.

Products here are sold at a heavily discounted rate to help insulate families against rising costs.

With news today that inflation jumped to 3.5% in April - up from 2.6% in March - it's needed more than ever.

“We’ve seen the number of members signing up to use our stores rise by 33% in the last 12 months,” says Andy Hawthorne, chief executive of the Message Trust charity, which runs the network of groceries.

“That means we now have more than 70,000 families as members across our 29 stores in England & Wales,” he adds.

“Things are clearly still desperate out there.”

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

Another area where inflation actually eased was in clothing and footwear, in particular for women and infants.

The ONS says that prices fell by 0.4%, which it reckons is down to shops holding sales. It also says that shops may have been discounting a higher percentage of their stock.

But it also helps that Easter fell in April this year and the weather was absolutely scorching.

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

There is some good(ish) news in today's inflation figures.

The average price of petrol dropped by 3p per litre between March and April to 134.5p. That compares to 148.1p per litre at the same time last year.

Diesel prices dropped by 3.1p to stand at 141.7p per litre, below 157.1p in April 2024.

Still, it is not exactly cheap to fill up your motor. The days of petrol costing just over 100p per litre feel like a lifetime ago.

Image source, Pool

Earlier we brought you the chancellor's snap reaction to today's inflation figures. Now, Rachel Reeves is giving her first broadcast interview of the day - here's a flavour:

She begins by reiterating that the jump to 3.5% is "clearly disappointing".

Asked when people might see some relief, she replies: "For the last few months wages have been rising at a faster level than prices," adding that she understands cost of living is still "the biggest concern for families across the country".

Reeves reels off several measures - such as freezing fuel duty and setting up breakfast clubs - which she says she hopes will help relieve pressure on families.

Reeves also says the winter fuel allowance policy stands, adding it was "necessary to stabilise public finances".

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

It's not just gas and electricity that bumped up inflation in April - so did water bills and the jump is startling.

The ONS says prices of water and sewerage rose by 26.1% in April, which it said is the largest rise since at least February 1988.

This is the year before the water industry was privatised under Margaret Thatcher's government.

Inflation may sit above 3% for some months - but economists say effects likely temporarypublished at 07:47 British Summer Time

07:47 BST

Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor

The unexpectedly sharp rise means inflation was distinctly higher than the average in Europe as so called "awful April" saw households hit by sharp rises in energy and water bills.

Much of that can be ascribed to the way those bills are set in the UK. But higher food, vehicle duty and airfare costs added to the pain (the latter spiked largely due to the late timing of Easter holidays).

The same factors are expected to keep inflation above 3% for some months - and may persuade the Bank of England not to cut interest rates in June, especially given that services inflation, a key concern for the Bank, also rose.

But economists expect many of these effects to be temporary.

Already, wholesale energy and commodity prices are coming down on global markets, oil prices in particular have fallen as concerns about the world economy intensified after President Trump unveiled his tariff plans.

Those should help reduce inflation as we go into 2026.

But some uncertainty remains - including over whether companies dealing with tax and wage increases are tempted to pass those on as higher prices

Image source, PA Media

Over now to the Lib Dems.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper says the government cannot allow inflation "to spiral as it did under the Conservatives", but warns that it risks "repeating their record" as long as the employer's National Insurance hike remains in place.

"It's high time the government saw sense and put in place a proper plan to boost our economy: scrapping the jobs tax, standing with our allies to end Trump's trade war, and urgently negotiating a new customs union with the EU.

"We must see bold action to deliver relief for millions of hard-pressed households."

Image source, PA Media

A statement now from the chancellor, Rachel Reeves:

"I am disappointed with these figures because I know cost of living pressures are still weighing down on working people.

"We are long way from the double digit inflation we saw under the previous administration, but I'm determined that we go further and faster to put more money in people's pockets.

"That's why we have increased the minimum wage for millions of working people, frozen fuel duty to protect commuters and struck three trade deals in the past two weeks that will go towards cutting bills."

Image source, PA Media

Now for some political reaction, with the Tories first out of the gate this morning.

In a statement, shadow chancellor Mel Stride says the jump in inflation to its highest level since February 2024 "is worrying for families".

"We left Labour with inflation bang on target, but Labour's economic mismanagement is pushing up the cost of living for families," he says.

"Higher inflation could also mean interest rates stay higher for longer, hitting family finances hard.

"Families are paying the price for the Labour chancellor's choices."

As promised, here are some of the key takeaways from Today's chat with Grant Fitzner, the acting director general of the ONS.

He tells the programme that the jump in the rate of inflation to 3.5% in the year to April was driven by higher gas and electricity bills, but also increases in air fares and water bills.

"I think the Bank of England will be more concerned about underlying pressures," Fitzner says, noting a recent ONS survey which he says shows "pay growth is still significantly above the rate of inflation".

He adds: "There are some other global factors at play here as well, we are seeing lower petrol prices but also a stronger pound which potentially means cheaper imports."

Now through that flurry of breaking news, we're going to begin fielding reaction to this big jump in the rate of inflation.

First up is the acting director general of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Grant Fitzner, who's speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

(Check out our 07:10 post for a quick take from him).

Listen along on BBC Sounds as we bring you the key lines.

As expected, it was big increases in utility bills that sent inflation higher.

Grant Fitzner, acting director general of the ONS, says: "Significant increases in household bills caused inflation to climb steeply.

"Gas and electricity bills rose [in April] compared with sharp falls at the same time as last year due to changes to the Ofgem energy price cap."

Dearbail Jordan
Senior business and economics reporter

April's rate of inflation is higher than economists had predicted.

The pace of price rises was forecast to be around 3.3% - although one particularly gloomy economist we saw predicted a 3.6% rise.

April's figure is slightly higher than the 3.4% expected by the Bank of England.

This matters because one of the Bank's key tasks is to keep inflation at 2% and it cuts or raises interest rates to achieve that.