Sharon Bowles MEP in Running for Governor of Bank of England

Dacorum resident and Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England, Sharon Bowles, has applied to replace Mervyn King when he retires as Governor of the Bank of England in the New Year.

Sharon Bowles is currently the Chairman of the powerful Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, a post that gives her stature on the world financial stage and influence far beyond Europe and the UK.

Sharon said in an interview in Brussels today that her many years of experience at the centre of financial affairs means that she has "probably got more knowledge of European financial regulation than anybody else," she said. "Vision, diplomacy and negotiation -- those are my strengths."

Bowles was praised in an interview in last Monday's Daily Telegraph for "taking up the cudgels in Brussels as a champion of the City of London." But she said in that interview that she saw a great danger in the UK loosening its ties with Europe. "That could ultimately mean", she said, "that UK companies could be denied a 'banking passport' into Europe. They would then need to move headquarters to Frankfurt or make some other arrangements. So, yes, it's huge. The City could disappear."

Bowles said her candidacy showed that she was "practicing what I preach" and that "women have got to be prepared to put themselves forward." Her candidacy for the U.K. central bank would represent both a change from precedent and send a powerful signal on Britain's relationship with the European Union.

"I'd be quite a break from the past," she said. "I'd be a strong signal that London is outward-facing, because one of the big issues going forward is going to be what is the relationship of the U.K. with the rest of Europe and the banking union."

Informed sources say that Sharon Bowles has strong support from the London Stock Exchange.