British inflation hit a 30-year high of 6.2% last month, at the top end of expectations among analysts, according to data published on Wednesday hours before finance minister Rishi Sunak announces how he will help ease a cost-of-living crisis.
The median forecast in a Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a reading of 5.9%. Only three of the 39 respondents had expected such a strong reading.
The Office for National Statistics highlighted household energy bills and petrol as the biggest drivers of inflation in February. The ONS said consumer prices rose by 0.8% in month-on-month terms, marking the biggest February rise since 2009.
Last week, the Bank of England raised its forecast for inflation to peak above 8% - more than four times its target - during the April-June period. Regulated household energy bills jump by more than half next month.
(Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by William Schomberg)
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