EurActiv Logo
EU news & policy debates
- across languages -
Click here for EU news »
EurActiv.com Network

BROWSE ALL SECTIONS

Goldman Sachs exec warns European banks will quit London if UK leaves EU

Printer-friendly version
Send by email
Published 03 September 2013

European banks would leave London "in very short order" if Britain voted to exit the European Union, a senior Goldman Sachs executive said in a newspaper interview published yesterday (2 September).

Michael Sherwood, a vice-chairman at the bank, said the prospect of a British withdrawal was a real worry given Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to hold a referendum on the subject if re-elected in 2015.

"I wouldn't say we are relaxed, we regard it as a very big tail-risk to our business," Sherwood, whose investment bank bases around 6,000 of its 7,000-strong European workforce in London, told the Evening Standard newspaper.

Talk of Britain turning its back on its biggest trading partner intensified in January when Cameron said he would seek a new deal with the EU and then hold a referendum before the end of 2017 to decide if Britain left the 28-nation bloc.

His promise of a plebiscite upset many European allies and prompted warnings from some business leaders that Britain's economy would suffer if it were outside the bloc.

The move went some way to placating rebellious eurosceptics in his ruling Conservative Party, who felt threatened by the rise of the UK Independence Party, which wants to leave the EU.

But Goldman's Sherwood predicted European banks would quickly relocate if Britain did sever its EU ties.

"Forget what we would do. Every European firm would be gone in very short order," he was quoted as saying.

In the event of a British withdrawal, Goldman would have to decide how to divide its staff between London and the rest of Europe, he added.

"Our people want to be in London. It works for us. We would hate to pull it apart," he said.

His colleague Richard Gnodde, who is his co-chief executive at Goldman Sachs International, said London's financial district, known as the City, would continue to operate for decades to come regardless of the outcome of any referendum.

"There was a City before the EU was ever thought of. In or out, there will be a City for the next 100 years," he was reported as saying. "The question is: What kind of City will it be?"

EurActiv.com with Reuters

COMMENTS

  • "Goldman Sachs International, said they would have to make plans to relocate swathes of staff from the capital so they could maintain their access to the European economy."

    “We are going to be part of that economy. There is no scenario under which we will not be participating,”

    So,
    Goldman Sachs seems indeed to be far more pro-european !
    But we need more Bank-cities in european districts rather than in London .

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • I think the UK IP party has long seak very bad about the European Union long ago : "Wreckin'n / Titanic / Anti-Euro ..an do on ..

    An democratic United Europe should go federal without permanently to be disturbed anymore by UK!

    El Pluribus Unum

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • Ex Uno Plures

    By :
    Charles_M
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • It would appear that more than one person is posting as an european, the writing styles of the above two posts are very different.

    An 1, Goldman Sachs are indeed pro eussr, but they are just one bank and it is unlikely that they would move anyway as the economic costs of such a move would be huge for them and they would lose backers in the city and elsewhere in the world. We are not, thankfully in the eurozone now so the difference would be negligible for bankers.

    An 2 The idea of federalisation may be in the psyche of the eastern nations, but it certainly isn't in the Psyche of the British peoples. Staying out of the Euro is something that has actually aided the eurozone, because with our recovery we are bailing out the eurozone behind the scenes, hardly wrecking your federalist dream. the eussr is not Democratic, the deficiency is palpable to anyone who looks closely at it, you want to go federal fine but not with the UK.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • Great, Barry!
    "The idea of federalisation may be in the psyche of the eastern nations, but it certainly isn't in the Psyche of the British peoples."

    (note on capitals: for Barry the eastern nations have a 'psyche', while the British peoples a 'Psyche')

    If not federalist, what is then the 'Psyche of the British peoples'; being annexed by England?

    By :
    NP
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • NP which British peoples are being annexed by England? The United Kingdom has existed since 24 March 1603 when James vi of Scotland became James 1 of the United Kingdoms, hardly an annexation by England, a Scot taking charge, but then the truth is never what europhiles like to be published, or to get in the way of their requirements.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • @ Davies

    Yes, I posted twice! The second is the example of Ukip's rudeness!

    Americans knows the sense of unity ! Again Sorry !!

    What a rethoric in acting like Beavis and Butthead to be so Mr Davies !

    Take YOUR kind of wreckin'n in your pocket !

    If that Day will come i will strongly recommend a EU entry fees more "adequate" than in Gibraltar !

    Neither Scottland nor the europpean Union didn't need it arrogantus in exremius !
    By the way , i'm from western europe and promote at least a strong federation! Dreaming No! It's only a matter of time!

    Perhaps you get your cake and could it eat too when leavin' but i doubt!

    El Pluribus Unum

    @Charles_M

    ha , ha .. offended ...seems the GS workforces will leave the City of London and continue their work there !
    But finally this either doesn't interests you and Davies like the idea : happen what happen!

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • Frankfurt Special...

    By :
    Andre
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • an european 2 is not so lucid as an european 1 Seems odd that an european 2 thinks his nonsense would be seen by anyone as an example of UKIP's rudeness, which I presume means actually being honest about the eussr rather than praising it. Who mentioned the US and Unity in this link before you did? You seem to be writing under the delusion that you understand what you are talking about, when it is clear that you do not have a clue.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • As far as I'm concerned I'd rather Goldman Sachs piss off to wherever it pleases them and take all their competitors with them rather than be a state/region/province of the EU superstate.

    By :
    Charles_M
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • Would this be the same Goldman Sachs that help the Greeks produce figures that enabled them to join the Euro ? Like any organisation they have their own interests very much at heart and to pretend that this is free impartial financial advice for the UK is laughable.

    The EU has shown itself to be actively hostile to the banking industry (not that I am against some tighter control) e.g. FTT and whilst I am sure exiting the EU would impact on the nature of the City of London, the much increased protectionist and statist nature of the remaining EU would also be taken into account by financial institutions in their decisions.

    Anyone remember what Goldman's stance was on the UK staying out of the Euro ?

    By :
    Iwantout
    - Posted on :
    03/09/2013
  • This, of course, is from a bank that maintains a strong presence in Switzerland, which just happens to be outside the European Union. It even went so far as to open up a Geneva branch in the spring of 2001, in addition to its Zurich head office, to service clients from Latin America, the Middle East and Southern Europe – which just happens to include EU member states.

    In other words, this is corporate BS, but the proximate cause is that the Standard is running a major debate on the motion, "The City in Europe: Will it prosper if Britain leaves the EU? ", and it wants to attract publicity for this FUD-fest.

    The members of the panel are: Business Secretary Vince Cable, Vicky Pryce, captain of industry Sir Martin Sorrell, entrepreneur Luke Johnson, Tory backbencher and author Jesse Norman and German-born Labour MP Gisela Stuart. The debate is being held in partnership with the City of London and the Centre for London and is sponsored by GVA, will be chaired by the BBC's Jon Sopel with an introduction from the Lord Mayor of London.

    Not to be left out, though, Reuters has joined in the fun, recruiting Roger Gifford, the Lord Mayor of London, to spread the message of fear.

    "There is a risk that those foreign exchange desks would move, and that might apply as much to JP Morgan or Citigroup as it does to Deutsche, and equally for all the expertise that is there for project finance, structured finance, commodity dealing and the legal side which is so strong here", says Roger Gifford.

    "If the UK was not in the European Union and there was some rift with Germany I cannot see why the German authorities would not be suggesting to the management of Deutsche Bank that they should have their primary operations particularly for foreign exchange back in Germany rather than London", he adds.

    Then we see the propaganda line emerge. Gifford, who heads up the British operations of Swedish bank Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, says it was mistaken to believe Britain could operate alone outside the single market. In a patronising comment, he tells us, "There is a different reality today - let's not be silly", adding that at least 90 percent of the major financial institutions in London wanted Britain to stay inside the EU.

    But here we go again. Despite "Brexit", it is quite possible to negotiate a settlement that keeps Britain in the Single Market, for the time being – unless the ECA loons get their way. So, the propaganda campaign only works if you go for the nuclear option and pretend that there is no better way of organising an exit.

    Its funny really, how the extreme "outers" with their ECA repeal meme seem to be working in concert with the europhile tendency, doing everything they can do maximise the fear quotient. But all it takes is Art 50 and the London FUD (Fear, uncertainty and doubt)comes falling down.

    Extract from R. North
    http://www.eureferendum.com/Default.aspx

    By :
    Sue
    - Posted on :
    04/09/2013
  • Not sure I agree with the author of the piece you have posted Sue, in my experience it is the pro eussr propaganda machine which spreads the horror stories of us leaving the eussr, not the people in favour of an exit.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    04/09/2013
  • @Sue

    "strong presence in Switzerland, which just happens to be outside the European Union"
    Really? You don't know , however Swiss is known as an taxevader-castle with a lot of corrupted as even pedophilic, prostitute and fullfiled black money in iT..

    but you're right in saying the Brexit is unavoidable as even the single market

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    04/09/2013
  • All this is is scaremongering! The UK should leave the European Union it will make us more diverse instead of wearing a straight jacket which is the European Union!

    By :
    R.McGrail
    - Posted on :
    09/09/2013
  • Strange that an european who is usully so pro europe in everything says that a european country is a corrupt pedophillic, prostitute filled, and has black money, whilst praising the corruption ridden democratically deficient eussr which has more than its fair share of pedophiles and prostitutes and a booming black economy.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    09/09/2013
  • @Barry Davies
    Strange or Not !
    Since you promote a lot of pedophillic secrecy !
    But I'm prising the committement the EU already did :
    Fighting against tax-evaders !
    The boomîng black swiss economy secrecy is over and even be more when sum/transfer déclarations aren't anymore secrecy

    However you still promote Switzerland booming black market

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    10/09/2013
  • @Barry Davies
    Strange or Not !
    Since you promote a lot of pedophillic secrecy !
    But I'm prising the committement the EU already did :
    Fighting against tax-evaders !
    The boomîng black swiss economy secrecy is over and even be more when sum/transfer déclarations aren't anymore secrecy

    However you still promote Switzerland booming black market

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    10/09/2013
  • @Barry Davies
    Strange or Not !
    Since you promote a lot of pedophillic secrecy !
    But I'm prising the committement the EU already did :
    Fighting against tax-evaders !
    The boomîng black swiss economy secrecy is over and even be more when sum/transfer déclarations aren't anymore secrecy

    However you still promote Switzerland booming black market

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    10/09/2013
  • So we lose a very small percentage of Bankers about 20,000 who are mainly from Europe anyway as they move their operations back to their own countries. The reverse of this is also true as Britain has lost over 2 million jobs in the last 10 years to Europe as company's moved to take advantage of lower wages while still having access to Britain's market place & once we leave many will return or find themselves on the wrong side of their largest market.

    By :
    tony a
    - Posted on :
    10/09/2013
  • an european as you have run out of other nonsense to write please give examples of the utter rubish you are posting. also please post the evidence beyond reasonable doubt that you have that there are no peadophiles anywhere other than the UK, that there are no tax evaders anywhere but the UK, and that I have promoted the Swiss booming black market, and that there isn't a booming black market in the eussr due to the nonsensical edicts that spew out of the unelected commission, if you can not do this then stop posting such nonsense.

    P.S. the correct term is a european not an european a british person can speak the language correctly.

    By :
    Barry Davies
    - Posted on :
    10/09/2013
  • This site is very important and famous for Travles.
    Heathrow Transfers And Packages Provide Services of Taxi, Airport Transfers, Heathrow Taxi, Cheap Cap,
    Heathrow To Gatwick Transfer, Gatwick to heathrow Transfers, Heathrow To London Taxi, Cheap Taxi To Heathrow.

    By :
    healthwise
    - Posted on :
    13/09/2013
  • This site is very important and famous for Travles.
    Heathrow Transfers And Packages Provide Services of Taxi, Airport Transfers, Heathrow Taxi, Cheap Cap,
    Heathrow To Gatwick Transfer, Gatwick to heathrow Transfers, Heathrow To London Taxi, Cheap Taxi To Heathrow.

    By :
    heathrow
    - Posted on :
    13/09/2013
  • This site is very important and famous for Travles.
    Heathrow Transfers And Packages Provide Services of Taxi, Airport Transfers, Heathrow Taxi, Cheap Cap,
    Heathrow To Gatwick Transfer, Gatwick to heathrow Transfers, Heathrow To London Taxi, Cheap Taxi To Heathrow.

    By :
    heathrow
    - Posted on :
    16/09/2013
The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Background: 

UK Prime Minister David Cameron promised on 23 January to offer Britons a simple ‘in/out’ referendum choice on whether to stay in the European Union if he wins the next election, scheduled for 2015.

In his speech, given in London, Cameron said the Conservative party would campaign in the 2015 election with a pledge to renegotiate Britain's EU membership and then put the resulting deal to a referendum, possibly in 2017.

A potential British exit from the European Union came to the top of the political agenda after Cameron said that Britain must use the upheaval created by the eurozone crisis to forge a new relationship with the EU.

More on this topic

More in this section

Advertising

Videos

Video General News

Euractiv Sidebar Video Player for use in section aware blocks.

Video General Promoted 2

Euractiv Sidebar Video Player for use in section aware blocks.

Advertising

Advertising