Legendary TV weatherman Michael Fish demands ‘gold bar’ apology from Bank of England chiefs for comparing dodgy Brexit predictions to his infamous Great Storm gaffe
And Mr Fish claimed the worst forecaster was not him, for calling the weather wrong in 1987, but ex-PM David Cameron for thinking he would win the referendum
LEGENDARY TV weatherman Michael Fish has demanded “a gold bar” apology from Bank of England chiefs for comparing their dodgy Brexit predictions to his infamous Great Storm gaffe.
The much loved telly icon told The Sun that unlike the Bank’s pointy heads, the Met Office has a brilliant track record of gazing into the future.
And rather than costing the British economy billions, he said weather forecasts save lives.
But Mr Fish claimed the worst forecaster was ex-PM David Cameron for thinking he would win the referendum.
The ex-BBC weatherman told viewers that there would not be a hurricane the night before 1987’s Great Storm.
On Thursday Threadneedle Street economic forecaster Andy Haldane said the Bank’s failure to predict the 2008 crash was their own “Michael Fish moment”.
And probed after a speech in London over the lack of predicted financial “hurricane” after the Brexit vote, Mr Haldane replied: “It’s true”.
But Mr Fish objected to the comparison, saying: “There is no doubt that the Met Office gets 85 to 87 per cent accuracy on our forecasts.
“I don’t think their economic forecasts are anything like that accuracy.”
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And he told The Sun: “I think this Haldane owes me a couple of gold bars at the very least.”
Mr Fish went on: “We have one up on them in the Met Office because we have just about the biggest computer in the world but I’m not sure what sort of variables went into their economic forecast.”
Before last June’s historic Brexit referendum Bank governor Mark Carney said a Leave vote posed massive threat to the economy and might trigger a recession.
But this week figures show Britain’s service sector going gangbusters, sending the Pound soaring and the FTSE-100 reaching record new highs.
Unlike Bank of England shonky forecasts that have wiped millions of pounds off the value of the British economy, Mr Fish said the Met Office saves lives and the country a fortune.
“The Met Office computer and the Met Office forecasts are vital,” he said.
“It saves lives, it saves from damage and all the rest of it.”
Michael Fish predicts the weekend’s weather exclusively for The Sun:
“Some sunny intervals are also likely, chiefly in the east.”
He added: “the Met Office saves the country millions of pounds a year in fuel from flying for a start.”
“I’m not sure exactly what computers they have as far as running economic models, but certainly at the Met Office we have just about the most powerful computers in the world.”
But he said the worst forecaster was David Cameron who “came up with this idea for a referendum and it backfired on him.”
The ex-Premier bet his entire career on Britain not voting to Leave the EU, prompting Mr Fish to brand it “one of the worst forecasts he ever made - forecasting that he had would win the referendum.”
But he said he had time for the new PM: “Theresa May is the only choice, she seems to be settling in and doing some sensible things.”
If he does not get a gold bar, Mr Fish said he would settle his differences with the Bank of England over “a drink or maybe two”.
He added: “I do have a little sympathy for them because I know how things can go wrong with unforeseen circumstances."
And his message to the Bank was “try again, it will all come right in the end!”