Minutes from the meeting showed that eight members voted to keep policy unchanged, with one backing a quarter-point reduction
The Bank of England kept its main UK interest rate unchanged at 4.50 per cent on Thursday even though the economy is barely growing and the nation faces more uncertainty in light of the tariff policies being enacted by the Trump administration in the US. The decision by the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee was widely expected, and comes a day after the US Federal Reserve also kept interest rates unchanged.
Minutes from the meeting showed that eight members voted to keep policy unchanged, with one backing a quarter-point reduction.
The rate-setting panel has reduced the Bank of England’s main rate from a 16-year high of 5.25 per cent by a quarter of a percentage on three occasions since last August, most recently in February, after inflation fell from multi-decade highs of over 10 per cent. However, inflation, at 3 per cent, remains above the bank’s 2 per cent target and is set to push higher in coming months, even without accounting for any tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. And many economists think it could rise as high as 4 per cent as businesses are expected to raise prices as a result of a big increase in the minimum wage and higher payroll taxes.
“There’s a lot of economic uncertainty at the moment,” said Bank Gov Andrew Bailey. “We still think that interest rates are on a gradually declining path, but we’ve held them at 4.5 per cent today.” If policymakers continue to pursue their recent gradual approach, then another cut is likely in May, when they will be armed with the bank’s latest economic projections and Bank Gov Bailey next holds a press conference.
Bailey said rate-setters will be “looking very closely at how the global and domestic economies are evolving” and that whatever happens, “it’s our job to make sure that inflation stays low and stable.” The US Federal Reserve, which kept borrowing rates unchanged Wednesday, also expressed uncertainty about the near-term economic outlook, particularly in light of US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which economists worry would lower global growth and lead to an uptick in prices.
The British economy, the sixth-largest, eked out modest growth of 0.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, a hugely disappointing outcome for the new Labour government, which has made boosting growth its number one economic policy.
Since the global financial crisis in 2008-2009, the British economy’s growth performance has been notably below its long-run average.
Critics say Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is partly responsible for the gloomy economic news since Labour returned to power in July after 14 years, because she was overly downbeat when taking on her role and has since increased taxes, particularly on businesses.
Louise Gibson, who lives in a one-bedroom flat in Epsom, Surrey, is facing much higher repayments when her five-year fixed rate mortgage at 1.52% ends in October.
The volunteering manager said she was already cutting back her spending by going out less with friends and to the theatre. “I’m petrified about what the next five years will look like and I have no idea about how I am going to find hundreds of pounds extra to pay for my mortgage,” the 46-year-old said.
Gibson said she was considering extending her mortgage term to reduce her monthly payments. While inflation is much lower than in recent years, households are still feeling the pain of higher prices and are set to be hit by a host of higher bills for water, energy and council tax from April.
Direct debit failures increased by 2% in February compared with January, driven in part by people missing loan and mortgage repayments, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Trade tariffs imposed by the US also threaten to push up prices for UK businesses exporting across the Atlantic. The Bank said most firms were in “wait and see” mode, as they also face a hike in National Insurance contributions (NICs) next month.
The Bank said UK exporters were “nervous” of the potential impact of tariffs. “We’ll be looking very closely at how the global and domestic economies are evolving,” Bailey said.
US President Donald Trump has imposed a range of tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods coming into the US from some of its top trading partners, sparking a trade war with the likes of the EU and Canada. Trump has argued the measures will boost American industry but with tariffs being paid by the domestic company importing goods, economists say the measures could lead to price rises for consumers.
