Is the UK’s Leveling Up Plan Just a Slogan? Sign up for the New Economy Daily newsletter, follow us @economics and subscribe to our podcast . UK inflation rose to its highest level since Margaret Thatcher was prime minister 40 years ago, adding to pressure for action from the government and central bank. Consumer prices surged 9% in the year through April, the fastest rate since March 1982, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday in a report that marked a bleak moment for living standards. The leap from 7% in March came from an increase in energy prices, reflecting a surge in wholesale markets that drove a 54% in consumer bills in April. Fuel prices also contributed, reflecting higher oil prices after the war in Ukraine. Both petrol and diesel prices in April rose to a record. The increase is more than double the pace of basic wage […]