QUOTES-Bank of England policymakers speak after rates held at 5.25%

Below are comments from a news conference with BoE policymakers: BAILEY ON A RETURN TO MORE NORMAL TIMES: "(The) absence of data surprises is an indication that we're now getting back to more normal times, at least compared to the highly unusual period we've been living through with a global pandemic and a major war in Europe. "Risks to the global economy remain including from the conflicts in the Middle East.

The Bank of England took another step towards lowering interest rates on Thursday, as a second official backed a cut and Governor Andrew Bailey said he was "optimistic that things are moving in the right direction". Below are comments from a news conference with BoE policymakers:

BAILEY ON A RETURN TO MORE NORMAL TIMES: "(The) absence of data surprises is an indication that we're now getting back to more normal times, at least compared to the highly unusual period we've been living through with a global pandemic and a major war in Europe.

"Risks to the global economy remain including from the conflicts in the Middle East. But so far, economies have adjusted to withstand those risks."