Ian McCafferty, a BOE rate-setter, echoed some Fed officials in arguing last week that companies and households may be holding back spending because of continued uncertainty about the future.

WSJ: Central Bankers' Change

Another former U.K. rate-setter and arch-dove, David Blanchflower, has pointed out that even if nominal-GDP targeting was a good idea in theory, it is a bad idea in practice because nominal GDP is hard to measure and prone to large revisions.

WSJ: Some of the Carney Gloss Is Coming Off

Adam Posen, a former U.K. rate-setter with a reputation as a "dove" who consistently played down inflation concerns and favored greater central-bank stimulus, told Parliament last month that abandoning the inflation target would be a "grievous error" that would raise unnecessary concerns over the U.K.'s commitment to sound money.

WSJ: Some of the Carney Gloss Is Coming Off