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The Bank of England publishes how each Monetary Policy Committee member voted. Tracking the number of dissenting votes across meetings gives a useful forward signal.

Patterns to watch:

• A growing minority voting for a change often precedes an actual change by one or two meetings.
• Who dissents matters: a shift by the Governor or Deputy Governors carries more weight than external members.
• A split in both directions (some for hikes, some for cuts) signals uncertainty.

Market reaction:

• A vote split more hawkish or dovish than expected can move GBP more than the decision itself.
• The minutes released at the same time explain the reasoning.

Keeping a simple table of votes by member over the last year makes the trend visible.

Do you track MPC votes, and have you seen them anticipate rate changes?

I keep a one page sheet with each MPC member and their last six votes. The useful signal for me is not a single dissent, but the second meeting where the same hawkish minority grows by one name.

Last year a Deputy Governor flipped two meetings before the actual cut, and GBP sold off more on the minutes than on the rate print. External members moving alone rarely changed my bias for more than a session.

I disagree that a split in both directions is always noise. When the Governor sits with the majority and both sides still dissent, I treat that as a pause signal and cut size into the next London open.

The table also stops me reinventing the story after each release. I just add the row and ask whether the minority grew, shrank, or changed who is leading it.

Do you weight the Governor more heavily than a simple headcount? I still wait until three names line up the same way before I lean hard into the next session.