More reaction from British MPs.
More reaction from British MPs.
Matthew Oakeshott, the Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman, said there needed to be clear demarcation lines between the governor and parliament to maintain the Bank’s independence. “He’ll have to be far more careful over here – no riding with Cameron or skiing with Osborne,” he said.
Paul Myners, a City minister in the previous Labour administration, said he expected Carney to face tough questioning when he appears before parliament at his confirmation hearing. “I guess it would have been taken into account by the chancellor but will also no doubt feature strongly in his interview with the treasury select committee,” said Myners, who was also a member of the Bank of England court, which acts as its governing body. “We delude ourselves if we try to pretend that the governor does not take political questions – the current one has pursued policies that have had a profound impact on the distribution of wealth, favouring those in debt over those who have saved, and favouring the well-off retired over the poor. The important thing is to be accountable to a credible and transparent court, which is not the case at the moment, and accountable to parliament.”