Wednesday 08 April 2026 2:05 am  |  Updated:  Tuesday 07 April 2026 5:23 pm

Barclays’ high street U-turn exposes a divide in British banking

By: Samuel Norman

Senior City Reporter

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In Westminster, the news cycle is never short of drama over U-turns.

Subtle tweaks or direct bait-and-switches on policy are batted away by government spokespeople  as mere “pivots” as opposed to full 180-degree turns.

But away from all the hoo-ha in the Commons, over in the City an abrupt handbrake turn has left skid marks on the high street. 

Blue-chip titan Barclays, which spent the last decade pioneering the great bank branch cull, has suddenly rediscovered the charm of the brick-and-mortar approach. Barclays has said it understands the value of “physical presence” and the “ability to talk” to colleagues in person, and thus is moving forward with plans to expand its branch network. A key element of this strategy shift is the return of bank managers – a position that practically evaporated as Barclays accelerated its online push.

The conclusion was reached after shuttering a staggering 1,236 branches over the past decade as Barclays –........

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