LONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Britain's plans to make banksring-fence their retail operations from riskier areas has abetter chance of succeeding if a threat of full separation is inplace, the architect of the ring-fencing plan said. John Vickers headed up the Independent Commission on Banking(ICB), which recommended Britain's banks shielded their retailoperations from their investment banking activities but stoppedshort of advocating a total separation. Speaking to an influential panel of lawmakers on Wednesday,he backed plans to introduce legislation enabling futuregovernments to break up banks if they try to find ways tonavigate the ring-fence. "I believe ring fencing will work without reserve power butthere is an even higher likelihood of it working with thereserve power," Vickers told the Parliamentary Commission onBanking Standards.