RUSHES: Bank of England press conference

Bank of England press conference; ENGLAND: London: Bank of England:INTClare Lombardelli (Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England), Andrew Bailey (Governor of Bank of England), Katie Martin (Head of Media and Stakeholder Engagement) and Dave Ramsden (Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking) press conference question and answer session SOT Q: Thank you so much, governor. Given the closeness of UK and US markets, how worried are you about the constant attack from President Trump on Jay Powell, but also the firing of the jobs numberperson?Andrew Bailey (Governor of Bank of England) answering question SOT A: Well, Francine, I obviously don't comment on events in the US, and the policies of the USadministration because that is really for, for the US. I've said in interviews I've given actually in theUS, as you know, Jay Powell is a friend of mine. Obviously, we are very close. We work very closelytogether, and I'll say this again, he is a man of the utmost integrity. I know him very well. He's a manof the utmost integrity. So, I'm really not going to comment on what's going on in the US other thanto comment on somebody who obviously I do know very well and I respect very much.