Bank of England independence under Truss

A fundamentally weak pound is not the best platform on which to base uncertainty about the Bank of England’s future. But, barring the withdrawal of independence, there are – after 25 years of the Monetary Policy Committee – real opportunities to make new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss’ review constructive. It must be thorough, non-political and not drag on. Uncertainty in the meantime may put even greater pressure on the MPC to accelerate rate hikes and go harder on quantitative tightening. And, if that exacerbates stagflation, Truss may not get the full-blown recovery she needs before the next general election. So, what are the issues, what are the most feasible options and where do we go from here? Neil Williams, chief economist, and Taylor Pearce, economist, OMFIF, discuss. For more, see https://www.omfif.org/2022/09/options-for-truss-to-preserve-the-bank-of-englands-independence/