16 Dec 2022The Bank of England (BoE) has raised UK interest rates by half a percentage point to 3.5%. It is the ninth consecutive increase and takes the base rate to its highest level for 14 years as the Bank battles to stem soaring prices. The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 6-3 in favour of putting rates up by 0.5%. The BoE also warned that further increases may be necessary to tackle what it fears may be persistent domestic inflationary pressures from prices and wages. Commenting on the rise, Alpesh Paleja, Lead Economist at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: 'Another big interest rate rise from the BoE doesn't come as a surprise in the face of historically high inflation. 'However, with global price pressures starting to wane along with the economy set to fall into recession, it is likely that we'll see smaller interest rate rises for the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, high inflation and weakening activity will continue into 2023, putting strain on many households and businesses.'