![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/City-of-London-1200-x-800-7.jpeg\")
\t\tCity chief said there was a ‘crisis of confidence’ in the Square Mile\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tWednesday 03 June 2026 12:00 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tTuesday 02 June 2026 7:06 pm\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tCity chief said there was a ‘crisis of confidence’ in the Square Mile\t<\/p>\n
A group of influential City chiefs have thrown their weight behind an industry-wide campaign to tackle \u201cdisinformation about London\u201d and promote the capital as an innovative hub for global investment.<\/p>\n
All four of the financial sector\u2019s largest industry bodies have signed up to Team UK, a new initiative spearheaded by the Lady Mayor of London, in a bid to to extol the capital\u2019s virtues as an attractive destination for international investment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lady Mayor Dame Susan Langley will launch the fightback against what she sees as the wave of \u201cinaccurate stories\u201d about London\u2019s decline at a Business and Trade dinner at the City\u2019s Mansion House on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cAround the world cities and nations are competing harder than ever for capital, talent and influence \u2013 they are promoting their strengths and telling their stories with confidence, clarity and conviction,\u201d she said ahead of the campaign\u2019s unveiling. \u201cWe must stand up and do the same and not allow inaccurate stories to colour how the world perceives us.\u201d<\/p>\n The new campaign \u2013 whose more than 200 advocates include both the Investment Association and the fintech industry body Innovate Finance \u2013 will call on City institutions to act as ambassadors for the capital, amplifying \u201cpositive, fact-led messages\u201d about London.<\/p>\n The capital\u2019s standing as a global financial powerhouse has come under intense scrutiny in recent years amid a dearth of high-profile listings and a flurry of foreign investors picking off UK-based companies. <\/p>\n Feted City institutions like 222-year-old wealth management thoroughbred Schroders<\/a> and insurance giant Beazley<\/a> have both been sold to foreign rivals pouncing on the low valuations on London\u2019s stock market. <\/p>\n Privately owned, growth-stage companies have been caught in a similar bind, with the likes of Oxford Ionics<\/a> \u2013 a quantum computing trailblazer \u2013 and chipmaker Alphawave both snapped up by American rivals in the past year.<\/p>\n The campaign, which is also backed by the City UK and banking lobby group UK Finance, coincides with the launch of a fresh paper by Barclays that warned Britain was struggling with a reputation for instability and decline on the international stage.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n \t\t\tIndustry chiefs slam packaging tax that could push food prices higher<\/a><\/p>\n It said: \u201cNarratives play a pivotal role in shaping foreign investment intentions, and there have been occasions in the recent past when the UK has lost control of its international narrative, to the detriment of foreign investment.\u201d<\/p>\n Team UK will also attempt to tackle misconceptions that London has become a hotbed for violent crime, citing a study conducted by Sadiq Khan\u2019s City Hall that claimed to have revealed a spike in negative depictions about London on social media.<\/p>\n Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has blamed the narrative on \u201cChina, Russia or Maga influencers\u201d. <\/p>\n Speaking at the SXSW festival in London on Monday, he said: \u201cWe\u2019re not perfect, but we are the greatest city in the world in terms of culture, tourism, music.\u201d<\/p>\n Foreign firms pull investment<\/p>\n Recent Ipsos Mori polling found the UK capital had retained its position as the world\u2019s most desirable place in which to live for the 11th year running. <\/p>\n \u201cThe UK is a global leader in financial services, which drives innovation and supports households and businesses across the country,\u201d said Miles Celic, chief executive at The City UK. \u201cRegulatory reforms are enhancing our competitiveness, and we are setting the pace in areas such as green finance, payments technology and more. We have a vibrant, strong financial sector, and it\u2019s important that this strength is recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n The bullish sentiment stands in stark contrast to the host of business grandees who have warned the country\u2019s tax and regulatory landscape was deterring investment and economic activity in London and the wider economy.<\/p>\n Marks & Spencer chair Archie Norman used the supermarket\u2019s annual report to warn on Monday that \u201crarely in history<\/a>\u201d had the UK offered such a tough landscape for businesses and investors.<\/p>\n A host of foreign companies have also paused investment as a result of recent tax measures, including the Eurotunnel owner Getlink<\/a> and OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker scrapped its plans to build a UK data centre in April<\/a>, citing the country\u2019s sky-high energy costs.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n![\"Lady](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/00.-Lady-Mayor-Langley-Portrait-1-1-e1763029325401.jpg\")
Lady mayor Dame Susan LangleyCity\u2019s capital markets struggle to find spark<\/p>\n