Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange, urges the UK government to create more incentives for companies and investors to stay within the country's stock market. She notes that over 40 big firms have left or considered leaving the LSE in recent years due to better investment opportunities abroad, causing a decline in tax revenues and business valuations. Hoggett calls on the government to remove barriers like the stamp duty surcharge for non-UK residents buying UK shares and considers reintroducing tax credits for domestic investments as ways to encourage more activity within the UK market.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Dame Julia Hoggett, boss of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has warned that the UK needs to do more to support its own companies. Over recent years, several major firms like Just Eat, Tui, and Flutter Entertainment have either delisted or moved their listings overseas, including Amsterdam and New York. The LSE's main market includes around 930 companies with a total value of about £4.9 trillion, but almost 40% are international businesses from over 80 countries. Hoggett argues that the government must make it more attractive for firms to list in the UK or else they will continue moving abroad, potentially weakening the UK economy by reducing tax revenues and business valuations. She calls on policymakers to "take the handbrake off" and create incentives to retain and attract listings domestically.
Written for “UK Business Exodus Debate” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
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Leaning score withheld for article 64252: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-07
- Published
The UK needs to do more back its own companies at a time when a growing number are choosing to list their shares in the US rather than at home, the boss of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has told the BBC.
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boss → publish → BBC
Dame Julia Hoggett said the government needed to make it "more attractive" to invest in the UK stock market, otherwise big firms would continue to look overseas for their next stage of growth.
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firms → say → growth
Over the last few years, scores of big firms have left the London market, are considering a move or have been bought by private foreign investors.
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scores → leave → investors
The fear is this weakens the UK economy by reducing tax revenues and depressing business valuations.
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this → weaken → valuations
"If we want Britain to back Britain, which is what I hear the chancellor and the prime minister saying, then let's make sure that we're creating structural incentives to do so," Dame Julia told the BBC's Big Boss podcast.
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Julia → want → podcast
"We need to take the handbrake off."
The LSE's main market is made up of around 930 companies with a total market value of about £4.9 trillion.
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market → need → trillion
Almost 40% are international businesses, hailing from over 80 countries.
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% → hail → countries
But in the last few years, many firms have delisted or moved away from the LSE, including takeaway chain Just Eat, which joined the Amsterdam stock exchange, travel giant Tui which opted for Frankfurt, and Paddy Power-owner Flutter which now trades in New York.
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which → delist → York
Meanwhile, the number of companies newly listing their shares in London has dwindled.
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number → list → London
Last year, there were 23 initial public offerings (IPOs) on the London market, with £2.1bn raised.
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2.1bn → be → market
In the US, which has much larger capital markets, there were 354 with $44bn (£33bn) raised.
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which → have → 44bn
It has coincided in a big rise of UK investment money flowing into US stocks in search of better returns.
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It → coincide → returns
"We talk as a nation about wanting growth in every postcode, but at the moment, a lot of us are funding growth in every zip code," Dame Julia said.
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Julia → talk → code
There was "no shortage of great companies and no shortage of capital", she added.
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she → be → capital
But negative sentiment about the UK market - which was often exaggerated - had contributed to companies leaving in the past, she said.
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she → exaggerate → past
"We need to stop throwing shade at ourselves as a nation... it's a national habit."
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it → need → nation
However, she said British people needed more "incentives" to invest in UK stocks.
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people → say → stocks
She wants the government to scrap the 0.5% tax, external Britons pay when they purchase UK shares, pointing out there is no tax when they buy foreign stocks.
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they → want → stocks
She also supports the idea of tax credits for Britons investing domestically.
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She → support → Britons
The UK had such a scheme until 2016.
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UK → have → 2016
Business lobbying group the Confederation of British Industry has called for urgent action to halt the exodus of firms from the London Stock Exchange.
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group → call → Exchange
It said that lighter regulation, better marketing and incentives for investors were needed to stem the outflow.
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regulation → say → outflow
The government declined to say if stock market reform would be part of its Budget this month.
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reform → decline → Budget
"As has always been the case, decisions on tax are a matter for the chancellor to set out at fiscal events, rather than routinely commenting on rumour, speculation or proposals," a spokesman said.
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spokesman → set → rumour
The Aporia
