George Osborne must understand the IMF role is no popularity contest | Nils Pratley

Will the Evening Standard editor take a seat at the top table? Don't put your money on it just yet"

If George Osborne's "friends" were not advertising the former chancellor's interest in the top job at the International Monetary Fund, would we even take the idea seriously? One suspects not. The UK has a strong candidate to push to be managing director of the IMF. He is Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England.

Osborne's claim seems to rest on the idea that the current editor of the Evening Standard is a skilful political animal who could attract votes from around the world, and thus find a way through the IMF board's opaque selection process.

Christine Lagarde's nomination to run the European Central Bank has prompted speculation over who could replace her as managing director of the International Monetary Fund.