Why does the UK have highest inflation in G7 and is Brexit a factor?

theguardian.com:

Britain has the highest inflation rate in the G7, as the only nation in the group of advanced economies with a reading in double digits after last month’s shock increase.

With the UK appearing to be an international outlier, some economists have suggested Brexit is having an impact.

On a headline basis, inflation is higher in the UK than elsewhere. In the eurozone, annual inflation slowed to 8.5% in February, down from a peak of 10.6% in October, while US inflation eased to 6% last month, a fall from a high of 9.1% last summer.

However, it is not an entirely uniform picture. Inflation rose in France and Germany last month, while the rate for the EU27 dipped slightly from 10% to 9.9%. In the eurozone, analysts had forecast a bigger fall from 8.6% in January to 8.2%. However, pressure from rising food prices – the same culprit for the UK’s shock rise – led to an unexpectedly small decrease.

In both the UK and the eurozone, core inflation – used by central bankers because it excludes energy and food, providing a clearer picture of underlying pressures – rose by more than expected: from 5.8% in January to 6.2% in February for the UK, and from 5.3% to 5.6% for the eurozone.

There are also features of an economy which can cause inflation to rise, or fall, at times that may not be replicated in other nations. The Ofgem price cap in the UK is one example, leading to cliff edges for energy price changes. Economists expect the UK inflation rate to fall sharply in April for this reason, as it is compared against the huge 54% jump in the Ofgem cap 12 months earlier.

While inflation can bob around from month to month – belying an overall trend, and making it harder to isolate Brexit as a driving force – there are still reasons why the UK