Budget 2012: Govt considers 100-year bond

The government is considering issuing "super gilts" - bonds with a repayment date lasting 100 years or more - which it hopes will allow it to lock in the current record low base rate.

The Chancellor George Osborne will announce in next week's Budget that he will consult on creating the new bonds, which may even be issued with no set redemption date, according to the BBC.

It is hoped the super long-term gilts would allow the government to lock in the current record low interest rate of 0.5% for a very long time.

If the bond proved popular with investors, future governments would pay less debt interest for years to come.

The last perpetual loan was taken out to cover the cost of World War I.