But the fall-out from the Autumn Budget casts doubt on any future reductions.
As many predicted, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 8 to 1 in favour of cutting the base rate to 4.75%. This is the second reduction this year after the MPC lowered the base rate in August.
With inflation plummeting to 1.7% in September, falling below the target of 2% for the first time since April 2021, a cut to the base rate was widely expected, even after the announcements made in last week’s Autumn Budget.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, laid out a range of spending plans and introduced several tax hikes in the Budget, which experts predict could result in higher-than-expected inflation over the coming year. While the MPC still decided to lower the base rate this time around, there are doubts over what this could mean for their next decisions in December and in 2025.