Wokingham member of parliament Sir John Redwood took to X, former Twitter, last week to welcome a fall in shop prices.
His comment drew criticism from many social media users, many of whom pointed out that the latest figures showed prices are still rising, but at a slower rate.
In a statement to Wokingham Today when asked to clarify his comment, Sir John said: “The annual rate was still an increase, but a much lower rate than before.”
On Monday, April 1, industry figures showed the rate of inflation in British shops fell to its lowest level in two years.
Prices rose by an annual rate of 1.3% – down from 2.5% during the previous month.
Non-food inflation fell to 0.2% while the level of inflation that includes food prices fell to 3.7% from 5% in the previous month.
The Bank of England was reported as saying a drop in the headline rate of inflation does not mean a fall in the cost of living, adding that prices will continue to rise but at a slower pace than during the previous 12 months.
