Bank of England (BOE) Governor Andrew Bailey said an outlook for "more persistent" inflation was behind a surprise decision to raise interest rates for the first time in three years.

"We've seen evidence of a very tight labor market, and we're seeing more persistent inflation pressures, and that's what we have to act on," Bailey told BBC News on Thursday. "We're concerned about inflation in the medium terms, and we're seeing things now that can threaten that."

The remarks represent a shift in tone for the U.K. central bank, which previously said most pressures on prices were temporary, or "transitory," and likely to pass in the next few months. Now, Bailey expects the consumer price index to top 6 percent in the coming months, triple the BOE's target.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to Treasury & Risk, part of your ALM digital membership.

Your access to unlimited Treasury & Risk content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Thought leadership on regulatory changes, economic trends, corporate success stories, and tactical solutions for treasurers, CFOs, risk managers, controllers, and other finance professionals
  • Informative weekly newsletter featuring news, analysis, real-world case studies, and other critical content
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.