London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Nov 29, 2025

Interest rate rise will be higher than expected next month, Bank of England chief suggests

Interest rate rise will be higher than expected next month, Bank of England chief suggests

Andrew Bailey says there has been "a very clear and immediate meeting of minds" with the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on the need for financial stability and the measures to achieve it and indicated his concern with the direction taken by his predecessor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

Interest rates will have to be raised higher than initially hoped in the face of inflationary pressures, the Bank of England (BoE) governor has suggested.

Speaking at an International Monetary Fund event in Washington, Andrew Bailey also said there had been "a very clear and immediate meeting of minds" with new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on the need for financial stability and the measures to achieve it.

It comes after Mr Hunt has said there "were mistakes" in last month's government mini-budget, and pointed out some taxes may have to rise and others might not fall as much as planned.

He added it was an error to "fly blind" by not accompanying the "fiscal event" with an economic forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which many argue sent the financial markets into turmoil.

The BoE is due to announce its next decision on interest rates, which will impact household mortgages, on 3 November and many investors think it will either raise them from their current level of 2.25% to 3% or possibly 3.25%, both of which would be much bigger moves than usual.

Mr Bailey said: "We will not hesitate to raise interest rates to meet the inflation target.

"And, as things stand today, my best guess is that inflationary pressures will require a stronger response than we
perhaps thought in August."

The bank previously predicted the rate of inflation would peak at 11% in October, while its goal was 2%.

Mr Bailey said the bank would assess the impact of the government's energy support scheme and the 31 October budget statement of Mr Hunt, who took up the role on Friday after Kwasi Kwarteng was sacked following the economic chaos fuelled by his unfunded tax cut plans.

He added: "The MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) will respond to all this news at its next meeting in just under three weeks from now.

"This is the correct sequence in my view. We will know the full scope of fiscal policy by then."

In a further major U-turn on Friday, Prime Minister Liz Truss scrapped a freeze in corporation tax and said she would instead allow it to rise from April, as planned by Boris Johnson's government.

The government had already rowed back on ditching the top 45p tax rate for the highest earners in the face of a Tory backlash.

Ms Truss also said spending would increase by less than planned.

Mr Bailey said: "I can tell you that I spoke to Jeremy Hunt, the new chancellor, yesterday (Friday).

"I can tell you that there was a very clear and immediate meeting of minds between us about the importance of fiscal sustainability and the importance of taking measures to do that.

"Jeremy is now working on what will be the fiscal statement. It's not for me and it's not appropriate for me to constrain the choices he makes.

"But a very clear message I would give, and it's a clear message for everybody, including a clear message for markets.

"I can tell you there is a very clear and immediate meeting of minds on the importance of stability and sustainability."

Mr Bailey also indicated his concerns over the direction taken by the former chancellor, pointing to a statement he issued in the wake of the mini-budget.

He said: "I felt I had to. It's not something I make a habit of doing but given the situation.

"I also don't make a habit of commenting on fiscal policy as a rule, because that's not my job.

"But I made two points on fiscal policy... which are of clear relevance to the central bank.

"One was to emphasise the importance of sustainability of fiscal policy and the second, which was part of that, was to emphasise the need to have the Office for Budget Responsibility involved - that flying blind is not the way to achieving sustainability."

Mr Bailey said the bank was able to operate monetary policy - chiefly interest rates - to manage the economy and also make financial stability interventions to address issues such as the recent surge in British government bond yields that threatened some pension funds.

The BoE ended its emergency bond-buying on Friday.

"In these difficult times, we need to be very clear on this framework of intervention," Mr Bailey said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
×