The role of ex-Brevan Howard senior economist Gertjan Vlieghe on the Bank of England committee that decides interest rates has sparked a discussion over what constitutes a conflict of interest, with the Treasury Select Committee chairman questioning if appointment rules should be revised.

Vlieghe, who answered questions from the TSC on October 13, conceded that his appointment to the Monetary Policy Committee in July could be perceived as a conflict of interest, given his links to the Geneva-based hedge fund manager Brevan Howard at the time.