Inflation in UK hits 41-year high

LONDON — Britain’s inflation rate hit a 41-year high in October, fueling demands for the government to do more to ease the nation’s cost-of-living crisis.

Consumer prices rose 11.1% in the 12 months through October, compared with 10.1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.

The new figure exceeded economists’ expectations of 10.7%.

Higher prices for food and energy drove Britain’s inflation rate to the highest since October 1981, the ONS said.

The figures come a day before Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt is scheduled to unveil a new budget amid growing calls for higher wages, increased benefits and more spending on health and education.