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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Heather Stewart

Why Rachel Reeves should give bankers more of a cold shoulder at Davos 2026

the skyscrapers of the City of London financial district
The City of London might be the ‘crown jewel’ of UK plc but studies show too big and powerful a financial sector tends to limit growth, not boost it. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Zuma Press/Shutterstock

Back-slapping bankers will be thick on the ground in the Swiss ski resort of Davos this week as Rachel Reeves flies in to mix with the global elite. But she might be wise to treat the finance bros with a certain froideur.

That has not been Labour’s approach thus far: Reeves spared the banks from a windfall tax in her 26 November budget, and the UK’s regulators have just loosened capital rules for the first time since the financial crisis.

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