Carney prepares to bow out with hints of a possible rate cut

In one of his last speeches in the job, Carney confirmed that the UK economy had been sluggish during recent months, despite wider signs of stabilisation in the world economy, saying "slack has been growing, and inflation is below target."

Carney said that the MPC were debating "the relative merits of near term stimulus" and suggested they would closely monitor the strength of the economy in the run-up to its regular meeting to set interest rates at the end of the month.

Carney’s comments come after the Monetary Policy Committee were split 7-2 at their last meeting, where they held the bank rate at 0.75%. Santander’s chief economist, Frances Haque, called the decision ‘widely expected’ at the time due to the general election.