Bank of England policy-makers said today (May 2) that Brexit has driven a wedge between optimistic households and pessimistic businesses, adding to the complexity of setting monetary policy.

The BoE has long warned of the detrimental effects of Brexit uncertainty. But at today’s monetary policy press conference, governor Mark Carney said uncertainty was creating divergence in the economy.

Firms have been reluctant to commit to major investments without knowing what their future “market access”