The government must urgently abolish stamp duty on shares and abolish new cash ISAs to prevent the London Stock Exchange losing it’s most valuable listing, Astrazeneca, says Michael Healy

The UK stock market just received its biggest wake-up call yet. Reports that Astrazeneca – the most valuable company on the London Stock Exchange – is considering a move to the US should shake everyone who cares about the UK’s capital markets to the core. If a business of this scale, reputation and strategic importance is starting to question its future here, the problem isn’t Astrazeneca. The problem is us.

This is no longer a case of a few tech firms chasing higher valuations overseas. It’s about whether the UK can still claim to be a world-class home for global business. If that’s in doubt, we are all in trouble.

In 2024, more than four times as many companies left the UK stock market as joined it.........

© City A.M.