The Consumer Prices Index rose to 3.5% in the year to January, up from 2.9% in December, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In the year to January, the retail prices index (RPI) rose to 3.7%, up from 2.4% in December. Over the same period, RPI, excluding mortgage interest payments index, rose by 4.6%, up from 3.8% in December.

The Consumer Prices Index fell by 0.2% between December and January. The ONS said while this is negative, it is the strongest ever CPI growth between these two months. Prices typically fall at a faster rate between December and January.

This record monthly movement in inflation is mainly due to the increase in January of VAT and to a lesser extent the price of crude oil.

The two factors also affected the RPI between December and January.