Bank of England policymaker backs negative interest rates

Gertjan Vlieghe says the surge in Covid cases means the Bank will need a range of measures

Negative interest rates in the UK edged closer on Monday after a Bank of England policymaker warned the central bank would need extra firepower to boost the economy following the surge in Covid-19 cases.

In a gloomy assessment of the next few months, Gertjan Vlieghe, who sits on the monetary policy committee, the bank's interest rate setting body, said the second wave of Covid-19 was holding back consumer spending and suppressing business investment, which would push unemployment higher.

What would happen to my mortgage?