“A fall in motor fuel prices, particularly diesel, helped ease inflation in June,” says Grant Fitzner, the chief economist at the ONS.
Drivers benefited from average diesel prices falling by 10.7p per litre between May and June, while petrol fell by 2.1p per litre. Prices at the pump were still 21.3pc higher than a year earlier, down from 24.6pc in May.
There was other good news for families: food price increases slowed to 1.7pc in the year to June, the lowest since August 2024. This was driven by chocolate, beer and margarine. Clothes also became cheaper in June than in May, as summer discounts kicked in.
Falling crude oil prices, meanwhile, meant raw materials became cheaper for the first time since January, and factories slowed their price rises.
For Burnham, who campaigned on bringing down living expenses when the pressures were already easing, this might seem like perfect timing.
But he may soon have a much bigger cost of living crisis on his hands, with few tools to fix it.
The Bank of England previously warned that inflation could rise to close to 4pc by the end of this year if the conflict in the Middle East drags on.
Oil has already surged to almost $95 per barrel, wiping out a temporary drop to around $70 in June, after Donald Trump’s attempts to bomb his way to peace gave way to a full return to hostilities between the US and Iran.
