What are interest rates?

An interest rate refers to the amount a high street bank or building society charges you for borrowing money, or the amount you can earn on your savings.

If you take out a mortgage loan to buy a home, the interest rate will be worked out as a percentage of the total loan amount. A change in Base Rate could mean an increase in monthly mortgage repayments, depending on which type of mortgage you have.

READ MORE: Understanding the different types of mortgages

What is the Bank ‘Base Rate’?

The ‘Base Rate’ is set by the Bank of England (BofE). It’s the interest rate it charges to other banks and financial institutions when they borrow money. It’s one of the primary tools the Bank has to help control inflation.  

The Government sets the BofE an inflation target of 2%, but the current rate is 4.0%. It’s the Bank of England’s responsibility to make sure inflation is low and stable, so they need to bring inflation back down. The way they do that is by increasing the Base Rate.  

The UK interest rate, or the Bank of England’s Base Rate, is reviewed eight times a year. The Bank has a Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which meets about every six weeks to discuss and vote on whether the Base Rate should up or down, or stay the same.

The BofE’s Base Rate influences the interest rate you’ll pay when you borrow money or have debt, such as credit card debt, or how much you will be rewarded for savings.  

But the different interest rates high street banks and building societies set for lending and savings depend on more than just Base Rate. For instance, they need to take into account the risk of a loan not being paid back by a borrower.  

The Base Rate is a major factor for lenders when they set their fixed-rate mortgages. Lenders set these rates based on the market’s view of what Base Rate will be in two, five or even 10 years’ time. These are called ‘swap rates’. 

How do changes in the Bank’s Base Rate affect the economy? 

A change in the Base Rate can affect how much people spend, save, or both. If people spend less, or save more, demand for goods and services decreases, then prices don’t rise as quickly. 

This means a change in Base Rate can impact how much things cost, and therefore the rate of inflation.

If you’re looking to get a mortgage to buy a home, or you already have a mortgage, a change in the Bank’s Base Rate could mean your monthly repayments go up or down.

What is inflation?

Inflation is the term used to describe rising prices. The rate of inflation describes the increase in prices, or the cost of living, over a period. The rate of inflation is how quickly prices are going up. 

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) calculates inflation by monitoring changes in the cost of a basket of goods and services. This is called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Items tracked in the CPI include things like clothing, household goods, food and drinks, and housing.  

If wages and salaries don’t increase at least the same rate as the CPI, it means that in real terms, incomes are actually reducing, and household budgets can be stretched further. 

For example, if CPI, or inflation, is at 10%, and you have a pay rise of 5%, your income in real terms has reduced by 5%. 

What is the current rate of inflation in the UK?

The current UK inflation rate is 3.4%.

The rate of inflation can be impacted by the cost and supply of lots of different goods and services in the economy, such as energy prices.  

How does inflation impact the Base Rate?

Banks try to curb rising inflation by raising interest rates. This makes saving more rewarding and borrowing more expensive. Depending on which type of mortgage you have, this can mean an increase in your monthly repayments.  

When interest rates go up, people have less money to spend, so they tend to buy less. As demand for goods and services reduces, so does inflation.  

When inflation is high, the BofE tries to tackle this by raising interest rates. When inflation is low, prices stop rising as quickly, and interest rates go down.  

How often do interest rates change?

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee meets about every six weeks to discuss and vote on whether interest rates should go up or down, or stay the same. 

The dates of interest rate announcements in 2024 are: 

• Thursday 21 March 
• Thursday 9 May 
• Thursday 20 June 
• Thursday 1 August 
• Thursday 19 September 
• Thursday 7 November 
• Thursday 19 December 

What’s the current UK interest rate?

The Bank of England’s current base rate is 5.25%. This increased on 3 August, from 5% in June 2023.

How much have interest rates changed recently?

In March 2020, the Bank of England reduced the Base Rate to an historic low of 0.1% to protect the economy against the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This remained in place until December 2021.  

In August 2023, the current Bank Base Rate was raised for the 14^th consecutive time, to 5.25%. You can take a closer look below at how the Base Rate has changed in recent years.

Will interest rates change again?

The MPCs will announce its next Base Rate decision at midday on 21 March 2024.

When could UK interest rates go down?

Forecasts from the financial markets are predicting that the Base Rate may be at its peak, as the Bank continues to monitor the long-term impact that consecutive rate rises are having on lowering inflation. In the absence of any unexpected shocks to the economy, it now looks like rates are going to remain higher for longer, before slowly coming back down.

READ MORE: How much can I borrow with a mortgage?