British official annual inflation falls to 1.9pc

LONDON, Feb 18 (AFP): Britain's 12-month inflation slowed to 1.9 per cent in January, the lowest level for more than four years, official data showed on Tuesday.
In December, it had stood at 2.0 per cent, the Bank of England's target rate.
With inflation low and British unemployment not yet below 7.0 per cent, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is likely to keep its main interest rate at a record-low level of 0.50 per cent this year, according to economists.
On a month-on-month basis, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell 0.6 per cent in January, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
"Inflation looks set to ease considerably further this year," said Samuel Tombs, economist at consultants Capital Economics.