Push to widen search for BoE governor Senior Tory MPs urged George Osborne on Wednesday to look at candidates beyond the Bank of England to find its next governor, warning that the institution had become prone to "groupthink." "Before coming to a decision, they should examine every realistic possibility, both inside and outside the bank," said Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury select committee. He was responding to the revelation in Wednesday's Financial Times that Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of Canada, had been informally approached to be a potential replacement for Sir Mervyn King when his term ends next year. The Treasury said speculation about a future governor was premature, but allies of Mr Osborne, the UK chancellor, have done little to damp speculation that he is willing to be imaginative in drawing up as wide a shortlist as possible. "Of course we want to get the best person," said one close colleague. People familiar with Mr Osborne's thinking said the chancellor was keen to shake up the bank's culture, which could mean appointing an outsider in preference to two more obvious choices: Paul Tucker, the deputy governor, and Lord Turner, chairman of the ­Financial Services Authority. Andrea Leadsom, another Tory member of the committee, reflected a widespread view that the central bank had been insufficiently self-critical in its examination of its role in the crash and had shown signs of "groupthink." "When you get a chance to change the pieces around, it's a good opportunity to look at things afresh," she said. They have to be willing and able to challenge each other within the bank. Mr Carney is highly regarded on the international stage and is chairman of the Financial Stability Board, the Basel-based global regulatory body. On Wednesday he batted away suggestions of a move to the Bank of England. I'm absolutely focused on doing my roles, the most important of which is as governor of the Bank of Canada. It's a tremendous responsibility, it's an honour to have this position and I intend to fulfil it. His term at the Bank of Canada runs until 2015. The issue was also a topic on the fringes of the International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington. Both Mr Carney and the Bank of Canada are held in high regard at the IMF, but officials viewed the prospect of a foreigner heading the Bank of England as odd. The Canadians are very good, but it's a midsized economy. It's not the Seychelles, but it's not the UK," said one. David Blanchflower, the academic and former member of the bank's Monetary Policy Committee was critical of the possibility of Mr Carney moving to London. Carney doesn't fit the bill. He's in the same mould as Mervyn," he told the Financial Times. The bookies took Mr Carney's chances seriously nonetheless. Paddypower added him to an 18-strong list of runners and riders at 25-1, later narrowing the odds to 10-1.