British families face a fresh cost of living squeeze after the price of oil topped $100 for the first time since July.
In a blow to millions of households struggling to make ends meet, Brent crude rose as high as $101.58 a barrel as escalating hostilities in the Middle East fuelled fears over global supplies.
At the same time, UK natural gas prices hit the highest level since December 2022.
The rising prices looks set to hit motorists at the fuel pumps as well as feed through to higher food and energy bills.
And the threat of higher inflation could force the Bank of
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