CBI responds to Chancellor's 2026 Mansion House speech

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Executive, said:  

“One year on from the launch of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy and the introduction of the Leeds Reforms, the Chancellor’s Mansion House speech struck the right tone – reassuring financial markets, global investors and businesses of the UK’s commitment to investment, innovation and growth. 

“The priority now is to continue the translation of those reforms into practical changes that strengthen the financial services sector and support firms across the wider economy that rely on it. 

“The recently announced package to support SMEs was welcome and will help more businesses to scale, export and adopt new technologies here in the UK. That investment should pay dividends by boosting productivity, strengthening local economies and supporting long-term growth. 

“The next step is delivery across key reform programmes, including reform of the Financial Ombudsman Service, pensions reform and streamlining the Senior Managers and Certification Regime. The key measure of success will be whether these changes can unlock further domestic investment, help ambitious firms to scale and grow, deepen UK capital markets and make regulation clearer, faster and more predictable.”