interest rates have gone up by three quarters of a percentage point, the biggest increase for more than 30 years. it pushes the base rate up to 3%, as the bank of england tries to control inflation. it s the eighth rise in a row, meaning higher mortgage bills for many homeowners. meanwhile the bank has also warned the uk could be on course for its longest recession since reliable records began, over a century ago. our economics correspondent, andy verity, reports. it is the biggest interest rate rise in a third of a century. the cost of living has been rising at its fastest rate for a0 years for global reasons but the bank of england is trying to prevent runaway inflation from becoming embedded in the domestic economy. these are big changes, they have a real impact on people s lives, so why are we doing it? and why are we doing it now when so many people are already struggling with higher energy and food prices and other bills? quite simply we are increasing the bank rate bec