The Bank of England has pumped a further £50 billion into the economy in a bid to help bring the UK out of its double-dip recession.

The Monetary Policy Committee, led by Sir Mervyn King, yesterday voted to increase the quantitative easing (QE) programme from £325bn to £375bn and hold interest rates at a record low of 0.5%.

That decision came after gloomy economic data showed a contracting construction sector, poorer-than-expected figures from manufacturing and the services sector suffering its worst performance in months.

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