The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee is split over whether to commit to further quantitative easing, according to minutes from this month's meeting.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) has called on the government to loosen its debt reduction plans as growth forecasts are slashed for the UK.

Insurance firm Aviva has suffered an embarassing blow after more than half its shareholders voted against its proposals on executive pay at its annual general meeting today.