Inflation drop makes Bank of England early Christmas present to Reeves almost a certainty

Monetary policy committee, cautious in recent months, expected to respond with cut in interest rates

• UK inflation falls sharply to 3.2%

• Business live - latest updates

The sharper-than-expected drop in UK inflation to 3.2% last month has eliminated any lingering doubt about whether the Bank of England will deliver an early Christmas present by cutting the nation's borrowing costs.

Bank policymakers announce their December decision at noon on Thursday, and after last month's five-four split vote were already widely expected to cut the base rate by 0.25 percentage points from its current level of 4%.