Interest rates to remain on hold

The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold today and left its £375 billion economy-boosting drive unchanged as hopes grow over a strong pick-up in UK growth.

Policymakers - who concluded their monthly meeting yesterday to allow some officials to attend the G20 meeting in Washington - have already pledged to keep rates at their record low of 0.5% until the unemployment rate falls to 7%. %VIRTUAL-SkimlinksPromo%