Chancellor delays consultation on date of RPI reform until 11 March 2020

On 13 January 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, wrote to the Chair of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, announcing that the joint consultation available here between the government and UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) on the latter’s proposed change to the Retail Prices Index (RPI) will be launched on the same day as the 2020 Budget, which is to be delivered on 11 March 2020.

The consultation will seek views on whether the proposed change in RPI should be made before 2030, and if so when between 2025 and 2030.

The consultation had been scheduled to launch this month but, following the general election and the Chancellor’s confirmation of the Budget date to be 11 March 2020, the government has agreed with UKSA to delay the launch until then.

The consultation will therefore launch on 11 March and run for six weeks until 22 April. The government and UKSA intend to respond to the consultation before the Parliamentary summer recess.