ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said clothing prices, particularly for women’s clothing, were the biggest driver of the fall in the annual inflation rate.
Clothing and footwear fell 0.6 per cent, compared with a rise of 1.8 per cent in the 12 months to January.
Fitzner said this had been partially offset by small increases for other items including alcoholic drinks.
Core inflation, which excludes food, alcohol and tobacco, also fell in February, easing to 3.5 per cent from 3.7 per cent in January.
But services inflation, a key indicator of domestic price pressures, was unchanged at 5 per cent, disappointing analysts’ expectations for a decline to 4.9 per cent.
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