QE3 sees a £50bn boost

The programme of quantitative easing now totals £375bn while Bank base rate was held at 0.5% - its level since March 2009.

Last month's meeting saw Bank governor Mervyn King vote to increase the QE programme by £50bn to £375bn while fellow MPC members Adam Posen and David Miles also wanted a £50bn boost.

Paul Fisher meanwhile voted for a £25bn increase.

The minutes from this month's Monetary Policy Committee meeting will be published in two weeks.

Ben Thompson, managing director of Legal and General Mortgage Club, said: “Despite the positive start to the year things have slowed significantly, largely brought about by a lengthy period of instability in the Eurozone.

"Although some progress has been made in the last fortnight, the long term position remains far from clear. As a result of this and the all round pinch on consumer spending power, confidence has been hit hard and a boost is very much needed.

"The announcement of additional QE, in conjunction with the measures announced by the Bank of England at Mansion House recently, will certainly help, however the benefits from this won't be felt at consumer level for a while yet.

"In terms of the housing market, although borrowing costs remain very low indeed, consumer confidence is fragile, meaning that many will be happy to sit on their hands until such time as they feel demonstrably better off and more confident in terms of outlook, so things are likely to remain relatively flat for some time to come yet."