Shafaqna English– As anticipated, the Bank of England decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate at the current level during Thursday’s(30 Jul 2026) meeting. However, the decision was not unanimous, as a third member of the policy committee joined the hawks and voted for an increase, citing escalating geopolitical frictions between Washington and Tehran as the primary justification.
The final count stood at 6-3 for maintaining the 3.75% rate, a decision that surprised market observers given that the consensus forecast from Reuters’ poll had pointed to a much closer 7-2 outcome. The unexpectedly large minority voting for a hike underscores growing concerns among policymakers about external shocks stemming from Middle East instability.
Source: Reuters