Petrol, financial services, and games and toys were the most significant drivers of the rise, while downward pressure came from food prices.
However, annual retail prices inflation (RPI) stood at 4.5% in October, down from 4.6% the previous month. Core inflation was stable at 2.7% in October.
The rise in inflation will prompt Bank of England governor Mervyn King to write another explanatory letter to Chancellor George Osborne, to be published later this morning.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said the BoE will not be happy with the rise, which keeps inflation more than one percentage point above target.
However, he added, it “is essentially in line with the projections contained in the bank’s November Quarterly Inflation Report and is unlikely to prompt a near-term interest rate hike.” Archer expected CPI to fall below 3% in the second half of 2011.
