Bank of England's secret EU exit study accidentally emailed to newspaper
The Bank of England revealed that it was researching the economic risks of Britain leaving the European Union, after details were accidentally emailed to an editor at The Guardian newspaper.
The Bank of England revealed that it was researching the economic risks of Britain leaving the European Union, after details were accidentally emailed to an editor at newspaper.
The central bank study, which could have a major impact on the debate over Britain's future within the bloc, was supposed to have remained confidential.
The revelation came on the same day that British Prime Minister David Cameron used an EU summit in Latvia to kick-start negotiations on changing the country's terms of membership. He hopes to have a package of reforms to put to voters in an in-out referendum he has promised to hold by 2017.
"Today, information related to planned confidential bank work on the potential implications of a renegotiation and national referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union made its way into the public domain," the bank said.
"It should not come as a surprise that the bank is undertaking such work about a stated government policy.
"There are a range of economic and financial issues that arise in the context of the renegotiation and national referendum. It is one of the bank's responsibilities to assess those that relate to its objectives."
