Britain's central bank was split almost down the middle over whether to cut interest rates this month, with five of the nine members voting to leave rates steady at 6.0 percent while four wanted to lower borrowing costs. The Bank of England's chief economist Charles Bean, along with external member Christopher Allsopp, joined the two members - Sushil Wadhwani and DeAnne Julius - who had voted for a cut last month.

The vote, which was closer than expected, will increase speculation in financial