The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows falling petrol prices and slower food inflation helped push prices down. On a monthly basis, prices actually fell by 0.5%.

That’s good news for households – but what does it really mean for your mortgage, savings and bills?

Why inflation fell

Petrol prices dropped by 3.1p per litre between December and January, while food price inflation slowed from 4.5% to 3.6%. Airfares also fell after December’s seasonal spike.

ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: “Airfares were another downward driver this month… Lower food prices also helped push the rate down, particularly for bread & cereals and meat. These were partially offset by the cost of hotel stays and takeaways.”

Core inflation – which strips out volatile items like energy and food – also edged lower to 3.1%.

The choices this Labour government has made means inflation has fallen today to its lowest rate in a year.

Lower food and petrol prices are helping ease the pressure on household budgets.

I know there’s more to do, cutting the cost of living is my number one priority.

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 18, 2026

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What it means for mortgages

Economists say the drop strengthens the case for the Bank of England to cut interest rates at its next meeting on 19 March.

Thomas Pugh, chief economist at RSM UK, said: “The sharp drop in inflation in January all but nails on a rate cut next month… This should take inflation to 2% in April, which will set the stage for another interest rate cut in the summer.”

The Bank’s base rate currently sits at 3.75%. If it falls, mortgage rates could follow.

Ben Thompson, Director of Home Moving Strategy at Mortgage Advice Bureau, called the figures: “The ‘green light’ the mortgage market has been waiting for.”

He added: “Lower inflation also makes lender stress tests easier to pass, handing first-time buyers back the borrowing power that has felt out of their grasp for years.”

Good news for borrowers

Riz Malik, Director at R3 Wealth, said: “Falling inflation with rising unemployment should give the Bank of England the confidence to continue their rate cutting cycle. Good news for borrowers – not so good news for savers.”

However, some experts are urging caution.

Rohit Kohli, Director at The Mortgage Stop, warned: “Inflation is cooling, but so is the wider economy… The question now is whether a cautious 0.25% move is enough given the pace of economic slowdown.”

For homeowners coming off fixed-rate deals, this could mean slightly lower remortgage costs in the coming months — but rates are unlikely to return to the ultra-low levels seen before 2022.

null (Image: James Manning)

What it means for savers

When inflation falls, savings earn more in “real terms” — meaning your cash holds its value better.

Philly Ponniah, Chartered Wealth Manager at Philly Financial, said: “This is the first bit of good news we’ve had in a while… While 3% still means things are getting more expensive, it is happening more slowly than before.”

But there’s a catch.

If inflation keeps easing, the Bank of England may cut rates — and savings rates could start to fall too.

Sally Conway, Savings Expert at Shawbrook Bank, warned: “For savers, this could be a last chance to secure today’s stronger returns.”

She added that many households are still missing out: “Moneyfacts data shows the average rate among some of the largest high street providers is just 1.19%, meaning households could be missing out on hundreds of pounds a year.”

Ben Mitchell, Director of Savings at Chetwood Bank, said: “Large sums still sit in accounts paying minimal interest, and even a small gap in rate can make a noticeable difference over time.”

What to consider now

If you’re a saver:

• Check your current rate
• Compare providers
• Consider fixing if you want certainty
• Look at moving money from low-paying accounts

If you’re a borrower:

• Watch for new mortgage deals in the coming weeks
• Consider speaking to a broker before rates shift
• Factor in timing if your fix ends soon

When will mortgage rates drop?

While inflation is falling, the wider economy remains fragile. Unemployment has risen to 5.2%, and growth was flat in the final quarter of last year.

Jonathan Moyes, Head of Investment Research at Wealth Club, said: “With a deteriorating labour market, weak wages, weak economic growth, and no ugly surprises on inflation, it is likely we will see our first rate cut of 2026.”

For households, that means cautious optimism.

Mortgage borrowers could soon see relief. Savers may need to act fast.

And while prices are still rising, they’re doing so more slowly – giving shoppers, for the first time in months, a little more breathing room.

Campaigners who have been lobbying for months to meet ministers and officials called the opportunity a turning point.

The national RAAC campaign will hold a rearranged meeting with the Scottish Government on Thursday.

Campaigners who have been lobbying for months to meet ministers and officials called the opportunity a turning point.

And Livingston’s Kerry Macintosh, who will be one of the team to meet officials stressed: “ we need urgent solutions.”

The meeting is with the government’s Better Homes department officials Louise Thompson and deputy director Matt Elsby. Joining Kerry and Wilson Chowdhry, who leads the campaign, at the table will be his daughter Hannah Chowdhry a co- voice chair of the national group and the campaign’s secretary Fiona Crichton.

READ MORE: Police investigating housebreakings in West Lothian and Forth Valley area

Ahead of the meeting, Kerry told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Families are living in fear of a material failure that is not their fault. We need urgent solutions and clear commitments – anything less leaves thousands at risk and in financial strain.”

Writing on his blog Mr Chowhdry said: “Crucially, the discussions will now include a dedicated focus on homeowners in Housing Association estates and the Associations’ responsibilities to support them, reflecting our continued insistence that all housing sectors must be part of any credible solution.”

Across the UK the campaign is seeking the creation of a national fund capable of restoring homeowners to their pre-RAAC financial position, pressing for a national inquiry and removing barriers facing affected homeowners.

The campaign also hopes to that local authorities will eventually be able to help homeowners affected by RAAC using the Affordable Housing Supply Programme Funding and look and the role of housing associations in coordinated remediation and funding solutions.

READ MORE: Labour councillor challenges colleagues on health board to demand more funding from Scottish Government

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Air Force One jets are being repainted to match President Donald Trump’s preferred color palette, according to new reports.

Aircraft in the presidential and VIP fleet will be repainted in red, white and blue, according to reports from several outlets, including CBS News and Fox News. The new design is also expected to include a gold stripe.

This marks the end of the previous blue and white design that dates back to the 1960s, during former President John F. Kennedy’s administration. The new color scheme is similar to the design on Trump’s personal jet, often referred to as “Trump Force One,” which has a navy and white body with a red stripe.

An Air Force spokesperson told CBS News that the change will apply to Air Force One jets and other aircraft in the executive fleet, including the $400 million luxury Boeing jet Qatar donated to the U.S. last year.

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The gifted Qatari jet, which sparked criticism from both Democrats and Republicans when it was accepted by the Trump administration, could be ready for the president’s use by this summer.

The new design requirement will also apply to smaller C-32 aircraft, which are used to carry top U.S. officials, including the first lady, the vice president and cabinet members, CBS News reports.

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The first C-32 has already been painted, and it’s expected to be delivered in the coming months, according to CBS News.

Trump’s vision for Air Force One dates back to his first term in the White House. However, the new color scheme was canceled under former President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Red, white and blue,” Trump told CBS News in 2018. “Air Force One is going to be incredible. It’s gonna be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it’s gonna be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate.”

The Independent has contacted the White House and Defense Department for comment and requested information regarding the potential cost to taxpayers for the reported changes.

After Monday’s resounding defeat by Sri Lanka took World Cup fate out of his side’s hands, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh asked for the luck of the Irish to kick in.

The following day, Ireland were due to take on Zimbabwe in Pallekele. Any points for the African side would knock Australia out of the competition.

Clearly, no-one told Marsh that when it comes to Irish luck in a cricketing context, rain is never far away. The two sides shared the points after wet weather saw the match abandoned without a ball bowled. Zimababwe through, Australia gone.

For the first time since 2009, there will not be an Australian side in the Super 8s stage or equivalent. Since winning it in 2021, this edition marks a third consecutive T20 World Cup without Australia in the semi-finals.

Less than a month on from wrapping up a resounding Ashes drubbing, Australia’s T20 side has failed to hit similar heights. The failings of this competition, which has seen them play all of their group games in Sri Lanka, alongside a wider slump in this format, does little to discard the notion that T20 cricket is not a priority.

As always after a difficult tournament, selection is questioned. Steve Smith has long been out of this side, not appearing in almost two years. A century and two 50s in the recent Big Bash were not enough to earn a recall. Not until Marsh was hit in the groin in training prior to Australia’s first game against Ireland.

Smith was summoned to acclimatise in Colombo in case he was required. He ultimately was, but not as a replacement for Marsh.

Australia’s Test run machine eventually earned a place in the squad proper when the selectors belatedly named a replacement for Josh Hazlewood, who was ruled out of the competition before a ball was bowled.

All those moving parts for a player who only made it onto the park as a sub fielder while Australia were still mathematically alive, with Smith powerless to stop Sri Lanka and Pathum Nissanka’s charge.

A 32-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, and burglary

A man has been questioned by police over an arson attack at a house in Co Fermanagh.

The incident in the Derrygonnelly area caused “substantial” damage to a bungalow on Friday night.

A police spokesperson said on Wednesday that a 32-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, and burglary.

“He has since been released on bail pending further inquiries,” they added.

“Our initial appeal is still active.”

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Just as his father did, Manchester United academy star Kai Rooney has been racking up goals at youth level – here’s how his stats stack up against Wayne’s

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Trying to step out of Wayne Rooney’s shadow may be one of the toughest tasks ever handed to a young footballer – but Kai Rooney is ready to embrace the challenge.

The 16-year-old Manchester United academy prospect is aiming to follow in his father’s footsteps and break into the first team at Old Trafford. Matching Wayne’s remarkable achievements – he bagged 253 goals to become United’s all-time leading goalscorer – might seem a daunting prospect but Kai has already shown promising signs as he steadily climbs the ranks within United’s youth system.

In fact, if his early academy statistics are anything to go by, the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. During the 2021/22 season, playing for Man United’s Under-12s, Kai recorded truly astonishing numbers.

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The youngster racked up an incredible 56 goals and provided 28 assists in a single campaign. To put that into perspective, he was directly involved in 84 goals over the course of the season, a phenomenal return that instantly drew comparisons to his father’s legendary scoring prowess.

He has continued to prove his lethal touch in front of goal while rising up the ranks. Earlier this month, he bagged four goals for United’s U16 side and his strong form has seen him play a handful of times for the U18s, where he is one of the youngest in the age group.

In four appearances at U18 level this term – all as a substitute – Kai has still found the net once despite limited time on the pitch. With just over an hour of action under his belt across those games, that’s a respectable return and a promising sign of his instincts in front of goal.

But how does Kai’s prolific youth record stack up against Wayne’s legendary boyhood exploits on Merseyside? The truth is, Wayne’s youth record reads like a video game.

Long before he was terrorising Premier League defences, he was rewriting the record books in local youth football. Playing for Liverpool Schoolboys, a young Wayne once scored 72 goals in a single season – a record that stood for nearly two decades.

At just nine years old, playing for Copplehouse boys’ club in the Walton and Kirkdale junior league, he netted an absurd 99 goals in the 1994/95 season. It was this relentless, unstoppable form that caught the eye of Everton scout Bob Pendleton, who snapped him up for the Toffees, changing the course of English football history.

Once he joined Everton’s academy, the floodgates stayed open. During the 1995/96 season, playing for the club’s U10s and U11s, Wayne scored a staggering 114 goals in just 29 games – averaging nearly four goals a game.

His physical and technical development was so rapid that by the age of 15, he had already been fast-tracked to Everton’s U19s squad.

During Everton’s run to the 2002 FA Youth Cup Final, a 16-year-old Wayne scored eight goals in eight games. Though Everton ultimately suffered a final defeat against Aston Villa, Wayne left his mark by scoring a goal and famously revealing a T-shirt that read, “Once a Blue, always a Blue.”

Within months, Wayne was included in Everton’s first-team squad for a summer training camp in Austria and scored his first senior goal in a 3-1 friendly victory over SC Weiz on July 15, 2002. A few months later, he announced himself to the world by netting a long-range wondergoal against Arsenal, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history at the time. The rest is history.

While matching the sheer output of Wayne 114-goal seasons may be an impossible benchmark for any mortal striker, Kai Rooney is already showing he has inherited the family’s ruthless edge in front of goal.

Wayne was a generational talent who physically overpowered opponents well beyond his years, famously making his Premier League debut at just 16 – the age Kai is now. While the younger Rooney’s rise has been less explosive, he is quietly crafting an impressive resumé of his own at Carrington, steadily developing his game and carving out a path that, while different, is no less promising.

If Kai can continue to produce the goods in front of goal against elite academy opposition, the Rooney name might be lighting up the Old Trafford scoreboard for years to come.

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The closure is planned as part of Cambridgeshire County Council’s work to install safety fencing between the busway track and the pathway alongside it

Pedestrians and cyclists will not be able to use a bridge on the Guided Busway in Cambridge for a couple months, while safety works are undertaken.

Cambridgeshire County Council has said the bridge between the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and Trumpington will be completely closed to cyclists and pedestrians.

One lane of the busway is also due to be closed. Buses entering the campus will be able to use the remaining open bus lane, while buses leaving the biomedical campus towards Trumpington Park and Ride and Cambridge Station will be diverted.

The county council has confirmed that a diversion route for pedestrians and cyclists will also be in place while the pathway is closed. The diversion route is proposed to go via Hobsons Avenue, Addenbrookes Road, and Francis Crick Avenue.

The safety works are due to take place between March and May. The county council said further details will be shared ahead of the start of works in these areas.

The closure is planned as part of the county council’s ongoing work to install safety fencing between the busway track and the shared pathway running alongside it.

The authority committed to installing the safety fencing to improve safety after it was fined £6million following the deaths of three people on the busway.

The county council has previously said it accepts “full responsibility for the historical failings” and has apologised to the families and friends of those affected.

Work to install the new fencing began in October last year. A spokesperson for the county council said: “Works are progressing well with the separation fencing, Trumpington Spur is due to be complete by the end of the month and the works at Pagram Way to Histon will be finished by the end of March.

“Then we’ll move onto Orchard Park to Cambridge Regional College.”

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