Inflation would still soar to 5.25 percent, but less than a previous estimate of 6.5 percent. Carney's update comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday proposed holding a general election on October 15 should lawmakers force him to seek a three-month Brexit extension from Brussels rather than carrying out a no-deal exit on October 31.
Carney's letter sent to John Mann, an MP for the main opposition Labour party, was dated Tuesday, one day ahead of the BoE chief's appearance before the cross-party Treasury Committee. "There's more preparation that can be done, both in terms of public preparation and preparation by businesses," Carney told the panel of lawmakers.
"It stands to reason that if there were more time, more would be accomplished."
He meanwhile confirmed that the weak state of the UK economy, which stands close to recession. "If you look through the underlying trend, our judgement is that the economy is growing very weakly, positive but very close to zero."
A key survey Wednesday showed that British business activity shrank in August, slammed by weakness in the key construction, manufacturing and services sectors, as the economy suffers from Brexit turmoil.
The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for all UK sectors dropped to 49.7 from 50.3 in July, according to IHS Markit, which compiles the data. A figure below 50 indicates contraction. "The PMI surveys are so far indicating a 0.1-percent contraction of GDP in the third quarter," which would mean Britain had fallen into recession, noted Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit.