The CPI rose slightly to 4% last month - above analyst forecasts and ahead of November 3.9%.
It was also the first rise in 10 months.
British officials said the uptick was due to an increase in tobacco duty which took effect in November.
But there were also wider upward pressures from clothing, air fares and entertainment prices.
Core inflation - which removes volatile prices - failed to go down for the first time since July.
It was unchanged at 5.1% last month - above analyst projections.
Finance minister Jeremy Hunt said after the data was released that inflation didn't fall in a straight line.
While the opposition Labour Party argued many families had become financially worse off during the past 14 years of Conservative-led government.
Economists had expected a slight fall in inflation.
The data led to a jump in sterling as investors pulled back on expectations for an interest rate cut by the Bank of England in May.
