UK Prices Rise as Iran War Pushes Up Energy Bills

UK inflation — the rate at which prices rise — climbed to 2.9% in July 2026, up from 2.6% in June, the first increase since March, per the ONS. Gas and electricity bills drove the jump, the steepest summer rise in four years, linked to the US-Israel war on Iran. It was the biggest gas price surge since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.