The headline inflation rate for April was published as 3.5% but should have been 3.4%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which publishes the UK inflation data.
The ONS said the change was due to an error in the data on how many people pay road tax, with an error in the number of vehicles paying road tax in the first year of registration.
However, the ONS added that it would not be amending April’s inflation figure, as the error did not amount to an “exceptional circumstance”, which would require a restatement.
Reviewing processes
The ONS said in a statement that it apologises for inconvenience and will be “reviewing our quality assurance processes for external data sources in light of this issue”.
“The ONS will be using the correctly weighted data from May 2025’s figures onwards, meaning no further statistics will be affected,” the statement added.
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The ONS’ inflation figures are watched carefully, as they are used by the Government to make decisions about the UK economy and by the Bank of England when considering interest rates.
Published inflation rates are also used to decide the amount of some key payments and interest rates, including the interest rates on student loans and the amount by which pensions are uprated each year.
Concerns over data
The news comes after the UK’s statistics regulator said the ONS must take action to reverse a slump in data quality, with stakeholders expressing concern about the quality of data.
In a report published in April, the head of the regulator said the ONS must do a number of things urgently “to maintain the confidence of its users, ensure transparency on its priorities and improve the quality of its data sources”.
These include the production of a plan for its survey operations. The Government has also announced its own review into the ONS.
