London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Bigger interest rate hikes on the table, says Bank boss

Bigger interest rate hikes on the table, says Bank boss

The Bank of England could raise rates by as much as 0.5% at its next rates meeting, its boss said as he pledged to get inflation under control.

However, Andrew Bailey said such a move is "not locked in" in a speech to City leaders on Tuesday.

Data on Wednesday is expected to show June's inflation picked up from May's 40-year-high of 9.1%.

The Bank is tasked with trying to wrestle that figure back down to 2%.

Mr Bailey, the Bank Governor, said in a speech at Mansion House that a 50 basis point rise - from 1.25% to 1.75% - will be one of the options for the Monetary Policy Committee when it next decides on rates on 4 August.

"At the MPC's last meeting we adopted language which made clear that if we see signs of greater persistence of inflation, and price and wage setting would be such signs, we will have to act forcefully," he said.

"In simple terms this means that a 50 basis point increase will be among the choices on the table when we next meet.

"50 basis points, and anyone who predicts that is doing so based on their own view."

For at least the past seven years the Bank has dropped and raised rates in 0.25 percentage point increments.

But the inflation figures for June, which the Office for National Statistics will put out on Wednesday, are widely expected to have risen again from May's 9.1%, well wide of the Bank's 2% target.

The Bank has forecast that the pace of price rises will top 11% in October.

"Let me be quite clear, there are no ifs or buts in our commitment to the 2% inflation target. That's our job, and that's what we will do," the Governor said.

But it is a daunting task at this time.

"From the perspective of monetary policy, these times are the largest challenge to the monetary policy regime of inflation targeting that we have seen in the quarter century since the MPC was created in 1997," Mr Bailey added.

Factors pushing up inflation include the reopening of the economy as it recovers from the Covid pandemic, a shortage of UK workers and Russia's war against Ukraine.

"The big external shocks - from Russia and supply chains - account both for a large part of the inflation overshoot above target and for the squeeze on real incomes," he said.

"My sense of the latest data is that the supply chain goods shock has started to ease, but the Russian impact - particularly on natural gas prices in Europe, is going the other way as we look ahead to the winter.

"The effect of these shocks has been to increase the cost of things we import relative to things we produce domestically," he said.

Meanwhile, in his first speech as Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi said inflation will be brought back under control by the government.

The government will deliver "sound public finances" to help achieve that, Mr Zahawi said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×