THE vote by the Bank of England's rate-setting committee earlier this month to leave interest rates unchanged at 5.75 per cent was unanimous, it was disclosed yesterday.

Members of the bank's monetary policy committee (MPC) are waiting to see the impact of five previous rises in the past year, minutes of the meeting two weeks ago showed.

But homeowners braced for another rise in borrowing costs to six per cent were given hope after the minutes said most members "had no firm view on whether rates would need to rise further".

The minutes said the near-term outlook for inflation remained uncertain, with doubt about the costs of household goods, food and utility bills.