@43d7c4ea 

I don't understand the way mortgages work in the UK. My colleagues in France get fixed rate mortgages (if they want one) for the entire lifetime of the loan! A colleague remortgaged in around 2014 as his current loan was at well about the then current rates and he was offered the new load at 1.15% over 22 years fixed rate for the whole period. 

If the French banks can do that, why cannot the British banks do the same?

Because they are crooked venal bastards? No, couldn't be that, surely!