(Bloomberg) -- U.K. lawmakers asked Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid to confirm the timetable for the appointment of the next Bank of England governor, in light of reports the process could be delayed.
The Treasury Committee wrote to Javid Wednesday after the Financial Times reported that current governor Mark Carney may be asked to extend his term again if the U.K.'s exit from the European Union is delayed. Javid's predecessor, Philip Hammond, previously said the appointment would be made in the fall.
Carney, who is due to step down at the end of January, has twice extended his tenure to provide continuity during the split from the EU. Bloomberg reported last month that the Treasury was considering delaying naming a successor until after Britain's planned Oct. 31 departure from the EU.
“The Committee has asked the current Chancellor to confirm whether the timetable set out by the previous Chancellor still holds true,” said Catherine McKinnell, the interim chair of the panel. “If not, the Chancellor should set out the new timetable immediately.”
McKinnell requested a response by Oct. 4.
The FT reported late Tuesday that the prospect of an election in coming months is making the imminent naming of a successor less and less likely, meaning Carney could be asked to stay on beyond his current departure date. The report cited unidentified government officials and it's not known if Carney would agree to such a request.
“The process is on track and we will make an appointment in due course,” the Treasury said in a statement Wednesday, before the letter was published.
The Treasury advertised for a successor under Hammond, and a panel of officials prepared a shortlist that could conceivably be discarded by the current government.
The five people who are thought to have made it to that round are mainly current or former BOE officials, according to the FT. It identified them as Shriti Vadera, chair of Santander U.K., Financial Conduct Authority Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bailey, London School of Economics Director Minouche Shafik, and BOE deputy governors Ben Broadbent and Jon Cunliffe.
--With assistance from Thomas Penny and Jessica Shankleman.
To contact the reporters on this story: Craig Stirling in Frankfurt at cstirling1@bloomberg.net;David Goodman in London at dgoodman28@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Brian Swint
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