There was ever only one outcome at this month's Bank of England meeting when interest rates were kept at a record low for an 18th month.

Monetary Policy Committee members, who also agreed to keep quantitative easing at £200bn, are thought likely to have been almost entirely in agreement.

They'd voted 8-1 in favour of maintaining borrowing costs at 0.5% in July. Only rebel hawk Andrew Sentance called for an increase. Rates haven't changed since March 2009.

"We strongly suspect that the other eight MPC members concluded that the serious headwinds facing what is still overall muted recovery from very deep recession warranted unchanged interest rates," said Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.

"Indeed, the MPC may very well be becoming increasingly worried about the risk of a double-dip, particularly given the recent markedly weaker surveys relating to services, manufacturing and construction activity in August."

Archer doesn't think rates will fall until the fourth quarter of 2011 when they may rise to 1%. They could even stay at their all-time low until 2012, he says.

Minutes of the latest meeting will be published in two weeks time.

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