U.K.’s Central Banker Struggles With Inflation, a Financial Crisis and His Own Government

LONDON—In late August, Bank of England Gov. Andrew Bailey was at a symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo., when a New York University economist flagged a problem. In a world where central banks are quickly raising interest rates to calm inflation, they might face an unexpected crunch in financial markets and need to flood them with liquidity to prevent a market meltdown.

Mr. Bailey, a bookish, soft-spoken Brit, stood up in the hall and said such an about-face would be a tough sell to investors and the public since it would undermine the fight against inflation. It “is a very difficult message to get across to the outside world,” he said.