Too slow and too secret? Pace of Staley investigation undermines trust

Jes Staley in Downing Street in 2018. The FCA said its investigation into the former Barclays CEO was ‘working its way through due process’. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Three years after it began, the findings of a City watchdog investigation into whether the former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley gave a full account of his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the bank’s board are still pending.

There is a risk that justice delayed may prove justice denied for the British public. Our system relies on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other regulators to uphold the integrity and honesty of those who manage our money.