By Paul Hannon
LONDON--Criticism of the U.K. Financial Services Authority for
allowing the Royal Bank of Scotland to buy Dutch rival ABN Amro
shouldn't rule its Chairman Adair Turner out of the race to become
the next governor of the Bank of England, a leading lawmaker said
Friday.
The House of Commons' Treasury Committee, which monitors
government economic policy, Friday published a report on the
takeover, which it said contributed to the failure of RBS, now
majority owned by the U.K. government.
The report was critical of Adair Turner, current chairman of the
FSA, and his predecessor. Mr. Turner is one of the leading
candidates to succeed Mervyn King as governor of the BOE.
Speaking to the BBC, the chairman of the Treasury Committee said
that criticism shouldn't prevent Mr. Turner from being considered
for the BOE job, noting that he had admitted errors.
"Here's somebody who has grasped that a mistake was made,"
Andrew Tyrie said. "It's a good idea to have a general who has
fought the odd skirmish."
Mr. King steps down in June 2013, and a decision on his
successor is expected to be made by the government before the end
of this year.
Write to Paul Hannon at paul.hannon@dowjones.com