The Bank of England has been urged by economists to halt its bond-selling programme, arguing it is driving up the government’s borrowing costs at the expense of taxpayers. A group of bond investors and analysts warned the bank’s approach to unwinding quantitative easing is adding pressure to already elevated gilt yields, costing the Treasury billions of pounds in the process. The 30-year gilt yield climbed to around 5.8%, its highest level since 1998, while 10-year yields remain close to the post-financial crisis high of 5.1%, which it hit in April. [...]