London

MARK Carney's scope to sidestep "Brexit" is dwindling.

With a referendum on Britain's European Union membership looming, the Bank of England governor has spent months trying to skirt the highly-charged debate. An appearance before lawmakers this week may throw him right in, as happened in the build-up to the Scottish independence vote when his comments were hijacked by campaigners from both sides. The stakes are high, with Goldman Sachs Group Inc and BlackRock Inc among those warning that the vote puts trade, hiring and investment at risk and many economists saying that the full implications of an exit are almost impossible to quantify. While Mr Carney has said that there's little evidence of an economic impact so far, some surveys are signalling that the uncertainty is already having a detrimental effect.