LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England said yesterday it is keeping its base rate at an all-time low of 0.5 percent amid fears that Britain's economic recovery may falter in coming months.

The bank's Monetary Policy Committee said it was extending the rate for the 18th month. It also decided against any additional economic stimulus through its asset purchases known as quantitative easing, which expanded the money supply and pumped £200 billion ($320 billion) into the economy last year.

The low base rate is intended to help pull the country out of recession, but now there are fears that the recovery will weaken in the second half of the year as the government embarks on severe cuts in spending.

Andrew Sentance, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, has been publicly arguing for a rise in the base rate to 0.75 percent. He is worried about Britain's persistently high rate of consumer price inflation, currently 3.2 percent.

Analysts at Barclays Capital said weaker prospects for exports, stalled credit growth, sliding household confidence and the government budget cuts announced last month all weighed against an increase in the rate.