Consumers face squeeze as inflation remains high Tim Ohlenburg, senior economist at thinktank the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), said that the inflation figure "puts an end to hopes of a fast descent in the new year." "This suggests continuing pressure on household budgets," he said. Dr Ros Altmann, the director general of Saga, said that inflation is particularly high among older people, as they spend more of their disposable income on food than other people. "These figures emphasise the importance of seeing measures in the Budget that will address the economic difficulties being faced by older people in the UK," said Dr Altmann. Economists said that the cost of living had not fallen by as much as expected. Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at HIS Global Insight, said that he had expected inflation to be 3.3 per cent in February. "The squeeze on consumers remains appreciable," he said.