The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, rejected calls for higher interest rates in his Mansion House speech, arguing it is "not yet the time" to begin adjusting monetary policy. In his speech, Carney said he did not believe the time was right for interest rate rises due to mixed signals over consumer spending and business investment.
He said:-
From my perspective, given the mixed signals on consumer spending and business investment, and given the still subdued domestic inflationary pressures, in particular anaemic wage growth, now is not yet the time to begin that adjustment. In the coming months, I would like to see the extent to which weaker consumption growth is offset by other components of demand, whether wages begin to firm, and more generally, how the economy reacts to the prospect of tighter financial conditions and the reality of Brexit negotiations. Depending on whether and when any transition arrangement can be agreed, firms on either side of the channel may soon need to activate contingency plans. Before long, we will all begin to find out the extent to which Brexit is a gentle stroll along a smooth path to a land of cake and consumption.
Interest rates in the UK have been held at 0.25% since last summer, although at the latest Monetary Policy Committee meeting earlier this month, three out of eight members voted for an increase.
Uploaded - 30 June 2017