Rubbish Check
Daily Mail Money · 16 August 2023
source“What rising inflation means for you: CPI accelerates to 3.1% – what happens next?”
R2/ 10
Lightly altered
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
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In short
Rubbish Talk rates Daily Mail Money's claim that "CPI accelerates to 3.1%" a 2/10 because the headline states the ONS figure accurately and the piece itself immediately explains the rise was fuel and energy-driven rather than broad-based.
The Verdict
Lightly altered. This is close to base fact: the 3.1% print is correctly stated and the word "accelerates" is a fair description of a rise from 2.9%. The only iteration away from clean reporting is that the headline doesn't flag, even in a subclause, that core and services inflation were flat or falling, a fact the article does surface in its second paragraph rather than burying it deep.
What actually happened
The ONS reported UK CPI at 3.1% for the year to August, up from 2.9% in July. The rise was driven by higher petrol and energy costs rather than a broadening of price pressure across the economy.
Key facts
- CPI inflation for the 12 months to August jumped to 3.1%, a slight jump from July's 2.9% rate, attributed to a rise in transport costs, particularly motor fuels.
- Core CPI inflation held at 2.6%, undershooting expectations of 2.7%, while services inflation was unchanged at 3.4%.
- Food inflation also stayed at a relatively subdued 1.3%.
- ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said sharp price rises for petrol and diesel pushed inflation up again in August.
- The article notes the Bank of England's inflation target is 2%, with the rate having peaked at 11.1% in October 2022, giving readers the scale of the current move.
What to watch for
- Petrol and energy costs were the driver, not wages or services, per the ONS's own chief economist, so the next print will show whether this remains a one-off energy shock or spreads into core measures.
- Watch the Bank of England's rate decision the following day for whether policymakers treat this as noise or a reason to hold firm on rates.
- Any follow-up coverage that drops the "core CPI unchanged" caveat and leads purely with the headline number would be a bigger rubbish flag than this piece.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
