Minutes of the last Bank of England meeting show that it came close to another quarter-point increase in British interest rates earlier this month.
Four of the BoE's nine-member Monetary Policy Committee called for the bank to raise interest rates to 5.75% at the meeting, which took place on June 6 and 7.
The MPC voted 5-4 in favour of freezing rates at a six-year high of 5.5%, as it took stock of a quarter-point increase in May aimed at tackling rising inflation.
Bank governor Mervyn King has recently indicated that the BoE may have to increase rates again in the coming months.
