FOOD PRICE SURGE BRINGS MORE PAIN

>>INFLATION UP, NEXT IT'S INTEREST RATES >>PRESSURE ON PM OVER PENSION CUTS

- David Bond, Jonathan Prynn and Rachael Burford

MILLIONS of families were today hit with more pain as food inflation soared to a 42-year high of nearly 15 per cent, official figures revealed.

The rise in the cost of food helped push headline inflation in September to 10.1 per cent, up from 9.9 per cent in August and matching the previous record high reached in July, and underlined the huge cost-of-living squeeze being faced by households across the country.

Economists said the latest inflation data was likely to increase pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates by one percentage point to 3.25 per cent when its Monetary Policy Committee meets early next month, piling even more misery on to homeowners.

The grim economic news is also set to deepen the crisis for Liz Truss as she faces a fresh battle with Conservative MPs over possible real-terms cuts to state pensions, welfare benefits and public services to plug a £40 billion black hole in the public finances.

As she battles to save her premiership, she was facing a crucial Prime Minister's Questions before another meeting with members of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbench MPs later today.

The 14.6 per cent rise in food prices - driven by a spike in the cost of bread, cereals, meat and dairy products will only add to the pressure on the embattled Prime Minister because economists say food inflation hits the poorest households

hardest. Today a Cabinet minister refused to commit to the triple lock on state pensions - which would normally see them rise in line with the highest of three figures, inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that any decision would be announced by new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt when he sets out his medium-term fiscal plan on October 31.