Inflation in Great Britain rose slightly in February to 1.9 percent on an annual basis, from 1.8 percent in January. The British statistical office announced this on Wednesday.

The price development was boosted by the higher prices of, for example, food, tobacco and computer games. Core inflation, excluding the volatile prices of food and energy, fell to 1.8 percent from 1.9 percent in January. The British central bank has a target for inflation of 2 percent.

On a monthly basis, British consumer prices increased by 0.5 percent, after a decrease of 0.8 percent in the first month of 2019.