The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and thereby helps to sustain growth and employment. In that context, its challenge over recent weeks has been to respond to the severe economic and financial disruption caused by the spread of Covid-19. The spread of the disease and the measures that are likely to be needed to contain it have evolved significantly. The economic consequences of these developments are becoming more apparent and a very sharp reduction in activity is likely. Given the severity of that disruption, there is a risk of longer-term ... (full story)