Just before 8am on Tuesday morning, around a dozen top bankers trudged into Number 11 Downing Street to solve a pressing problem.
The London stock market, a beacon of Britain’s standing in the world, is rapidly losing its status as a global centre for raising new capital.
Companies that once jetted into Heathrow to tap London’s vast pools of money are slowly fleeing to the US or into the arms of private equity buyers. Even those who are already listed here are starting to flee.
The London stock market just endured its quietest year since 2010, according to EY, while investors have continued to remove billions from UK equity funds.
At £2.3 trillion, Apple is now worth more than the entire British stock market.
Alarmed by the slide, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has tried to shore up London’s prestige with a package of reforms designed to get more money into British…
