Figures released this morning show that there was an unexpected fall in Britain's annual inflation rate to 1.3% last month.
Analysts had predicted that the rate would remain at January's 1.4% level. The drop is seen as making it more difficult for the Bank of England to justify more interest rates rises in the coming months. It has set a 2% target for annual inflation.
The Office for National Statistics said clothing and footwear prices were the main reason for the overall decline, as retailers were slow to lift prices after the winter sales.
The underlying RPI rate of inflation fell to 2.3% last month from 2.4% in January.
