The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will shed further light on how the conflict in the Middle East is impacting the cost of living for Britons on Wednesday morning when it unveils the latest official inflation data.

Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is expected to have risen to 3.3 per cent in March, according to a consensus of experts.

It would push inflation to its highest level since December.

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The Bank of England and most economists have indicated that price increases are set to accelerate in the coming months as the impact of the Middle East conflict feeds into the cost of products and services.

Last month, the Bank of England indicated that inflation is likely to rise to as high as 3.5 per cent by the third quarter.

Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggested spiking energy prices could help push UK inflation towards 4 per cent, double the Bank of England’s 2 per cent inflation target.

At the start of the year, the central bank had predicted that inflation would dip below the 2 per cent target in April.

However, the conflict between US-Israeli and Iranian forces since late February has led to a sharp increase in oil and gas prices, while disruption to the Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor could hit other areas.

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The latest data for March will be the first set of ONS figures to include elevated petrol and diesel costs since the start of the conflict.

RAC data from Thursday, April 16, showed that the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts was 158.1p, 25p more expensive than when the war began on Saturday, February 28.

The average price of a litre of diesel sits at 191.2p, up 49p compared with the start of the war.

Economists at Oxford Economics said they expect the rise in pump prices to add between 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points to the rate of inflation in March.

The fuel issues also affected Oxfordshire locally, with pumps being unavailable at certain stations in the county and prices rising.

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Oxfordshire County Council leader, Councillor Liz Leffman, spoke out last week on the fuel situation in the county and wider country, describing it as a “crisis”.

This was while announcing plans for a new £5.12m support scheme for struggling residents across the county.

She said: “We know that cost of living pressures never disappeared for a lot of people, and rising fuel costs, higher food prices and increasing household bills all continue to place a strain on residents, and the impact is often felt most sharply by those already on low or fixed incomes.

“Sadly, we expect that many more households may feel the pinch again with the ongoing fuel crisis.”

The 51-year-old Irish former model and actress is Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend and helps run the 1,000‑acre Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, Oxfordshire.

Ms Hogan has become a fan favourite for her no‑nonsense approach on the hit series.

She previously appeared in films, including Fierce Creatures, before stepping back from acting to raise her three children.

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The 51-year-old joined Mr Clarkson on the Prime Video show when it launched in 2021 and has since taken on a leading role in the farm shop.

Announced on ITV’s This Morning, her new show Farming for Love will see her play cupid for four single farmers from across the UK who are hoping to find a partner to share both their lives and livelihoods.

Viewers were introduced to beef farmer Guy from Wiltshire, North Yorkshire widower Chris, 24‑year‑old dairy farmer Dana and Welsh farmer George, who is on the hunt for a date to his best friend’s wedding.

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Hogan urged potential contestants – or their friends and family – to apply if they fancy trading city life for the countryside, saying many farmers struggle to meet someone who understands the demands of the job.

She said the new series will show both the realities of modern farming and the search for love, building on her experience of life at Diddly Squat.

Ms Hogan will continue to appear on Clarkson’s Farm, with the first episodes of the new series five due to be released on Wednesday, June 3.

The TV presenter lives in Oxfordshire on a 1,000‑acre farm near Chipping Norton, having bought the land in 2008.

Known as Diddly Squat Farm, the spot sits in the countryside near Chadlington and is known worldwide through his Prime Video series, Clarkson’s Farm.

Similarly, music mogul Mr Cowell also lives in the Cotswolds area nearby with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman, as well as his 12-year-old son, Eric.

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The couple first met in 2004 in Barbados, where they got engaged years later on Christmas Eve of 2021.

Mr Cowell is known for his TV appearances as a talent show judge, starring on The X-Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol over the years.

Now, Mr Clarkson has made a cheeky dig at his famous neighbour during his latest column for The Sunday Times about his trip to Miami, which was published last weekend.

“While Britain still has a dribble of jet fuel, I thought I’d pop to Miami to have a look for myself,” he wrote.

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“It’s been a minute since I was last there, and holy cow. Not even Simon Cowell has changed this much this quickly.”

The 66-year-old will return to screens this summer with the fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm, which is set for an initial release on Wednesday, June 3.

It is expected there will be a total of eight new episodes, which will release across several weeks.