Mr Carney, currently the governor of the Canadian central bank, who will succeed Sir Mervyn in July, is understood to want to take a wider view of managing the economy.

BBC: Budget 2013: Bank of England gets new orders

The CBI said Mr Carney's "strong track record as the Canadian central bank governor and extensive experience in international financial regulation mean that he is well positioned to guide Britain through challenging economic times".

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This is a startling departure from the governor's previous policy of benign neglect, and signals that the central bank wants to keep the Canadian dollar somewhere above 65.5 American cents.

ECONOMIST: The Canadian dollar