Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King launched a stinging attack on British banks today and called for a “real change in culture” as lenders became further embroiled in controversy.

Serious Fraud Office investigators are in talks with the City watchdog in Britain over the Barclays rate-rigging scandal that has rocked the banking industry, Chancellor George Osborne said today.

More banks in the UK could be caught in the scandal which saw Barclays pay £290m to settle claims that it used underhand tactics to try to rig financial markets.