Size inflation: the average size 14 is 4 inches larger than it used to be. In the US, they'd call it a 10.
Clothes with the same size label have become steadily larger over time.
Measurements vary a bit by brand, but research by The Economist finds that the average British size-14 pair of women’s trousers is today more than four inches wider at the waist than a size 14 in the 1970s, and over three inches wider at the hips.
This means that today's size 14 fits like a former size 18; a size 10 fits like an old size 14.
The same downsizing has also happened in America where, to confuse matters further, a size 10 is equivalent to a British size 12 or 14, depending on the brand.
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