Only one person has voted for a 50 basis point rise in domestic interest rates since the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee was set up in 1997.

So news that anyone had followed in the maverick Willem Buiter's footsteps at the bank's last meeting would certainly cement expectations of another hike in borrowing costs, maybe as soon as next month.

In the bank's May 10 vote for a quarter-point rate rise to 5.5 percent, most analysts think David Blanchflower held out for no change, two months after he called for a cut.

A Reuters poll of 20 analysts shows 11 of them expect the minutes of the meeting to show the quarter-point move was carried by 8 votes to 1, while three believe two policy-makers voted for no change and six think the decision was unanimous.

Markets, however, are on alert for the minutes to show arch-hawks Tim Besley or Andrew Sentance breaking ranks and calling for a half-point rise in rates.

Rates last went up that fast in 1995. Ex-MPC member Buiter's January 2000 call in the heady days of the dotcom boom was unsuccessful.

"Although we are sceptical that anyone actually voted for a 50 basis point increase, it may well have been discussed as an option," said Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec.

Analysts are divided over whether the Bank will raise interest rates again after 4 hikes since last August but markets have certainly got one fully priced in after the central bank's new forecasts last week said inflation risks were on the upside. 

Any sniff of calls for a bigger move will probably boost that view. Asked if there had been any case for it, Bank Governor Mervyn King said last week there was always a case for raising interest rates by a little more or a little less.

With markets so gung-ho for more tightening, a bigger surprise at this stage might be if anyone besides super-dove Blanchflower opposed the May rise.

Contenders have to be Bank Deputy Governor Rachel Lomax who opposed January's shock rise or Bank executive director Paul Tucker who was also against the New Year hike to 5.25 percent.

King said last week that differences on the MPC were small but any sign that such key bank figures didn't want to raise interest rates even when inflation had hit 3.1 percent -- more than a full point above the 2 percent target -- would get people wondering whether more hikes were definitely on the cards.

Source: Reuters