Interest rates increase to highest rate since 2008

The Bank of England has raised it for the 12th consecutive time

The Bank of England
Author: Chris MaskeryPublished 11th May 2023

Britain’s interest rates have risen to the highest level since 2008.

The Bank of England have raised interest rates from 4.25% to 4.5%, representing a 0.25 percentage point increase.

It's the 12th consecutive time the base rate has been raised as inflation continues to soar.

The move will make it even more expensive to borrow, pushing banks to lift savings rates.

The Bank’s raising interest rates to try and bring UK inflation down to its 2% target.

The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation remained firmly in double digits in March, squeezing household budgets and proving more stubborn than expected.

Cost of living crisis

Interest rates and inflation go up

Inflation rose by 8.8% in the 12 months to January 2023, down from 9.2% in December 2022. With interest rates also rising to 4%, those saving money will earn more interest on their finances, whilst those paying mortgages would pay more interest to the bank.

Energy bills

The price of energy went up incredibly as the cost of living crisis hit, with the gas price spike caused largely by the war in Ukraine. The price cap - which is set by an independent regulator to help offset costs onto customers - was set to rise to £3,549 for an average home in October but a price freeze from the government restricted the typical bill to £2,500. That's still an increase of 27% from the previous energy cap and as it's a cap on unit cost, the more energy you use the higher your bill will be.

Food prices

The cost of a weekly shop also has gone up as a result of the cost of living crisis. As a result of the war in Ukraine, a number of products including cooking oils and wheat have been disrupted. This means that several products are now considerably more expensive, driving bills up for customers.

Prices at the pumps

The average cost of petrol has also rose to unprecedented levels. Supply lines for petrol have been thrown into doubt as a result of the war in Ukraine, as Russia is a large export partner for gas, oil and fuel. In April 2022, the average price for a litre of petrol on the forecourt was 160.2p, whilst a litre of diesel would cost 170.5p. By late June 2022 the price had risen to an average of 190.9p for a litre of unleaded and 198.9p for a litre of diesel. In March 2023 the price wass on average of 147.03 in petrol and 167.04 in diesel.

Average cost of filling up a car with petrol hits £100

On 9th June 2022, the average cost of filling up a car with petrol hit £100 for the first time ever. Diesel had already hit that milestone. It comes as the cost of fuel hit a record high of one pound eighty a litre. The 2p rise was the biggest daily jump in 17 years. Prices have dropped by at least 20p per litre since the high point.

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