Mind the gap... New Bank of England governor Mark Carney catches Tube to work on first day

New manufacturing figures will ease pressure on Mark Carney to pump more stimulus into the economy (PA)

The Bank of England’s new Governor took the London Underground to work on his first day in the job yesterday.

Mark Carney may have hoped to slip into the background after boarding a Central line train before 7am. But he was soon spotted by Justin Urquhart Stewart, director of Seven Investment Management.

“Gosh, Mr Carney on my Tube this morning,” Mr Urquhart Stewart tweeted. “We even discussed the colour of my socks.” Having found time to digest the financial headlines on his iPad, the first foreign Governor of the Bank of England asked for directions to Threadneedle Street, where the cameras were waiting. The manner of his arrival did not go unnoticed.

“The Central line is possibly one of London’s hottest and busiest lines,” joked William Nicholls, a Capital Spreads trader. “From experience, he will have had to go straight to TM Lewin for a clean shirt upon arrival and I suspect the whole experience will be a one-off for our new central bank boss.”

Mr Carney received a welcome present in the form of an economic survey, which showed that the manufacturing sector had grown for the third successive month.

Experts hope the Canadian, who has George Osborne as his greatest advocate, will bring a broader outlook to the BoE than his predecessor, Sir Mervyn King.

Ex-Monetary Policy Committee member, David Blanchflower, said: “A major advantage for Mark Carney is that he brings a different perspective. When I joined the MPC all of the eight other members were from Oxbridge. At least he knows something about the world outside the Home Counties.”