Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein Calls For A Second Brexit Referendum

The CEO of Goldman Sachs has called for a second referendum on Brexit, claiming “many wish for a confirming vote on a decision so monumental and irreversible”.

In a rare tweet, Lloyd Blankfein told his 70,000 followers that Britain should make sure the consensus is “still there” to leave the EU.

The banking boss wrote on Thursday: “Here in UK, lots of hand-wringing from CEOs over Brexit.

“Better sense of the tough and risky road ahead. Reluctant to say, but many wish for a confirming vote on a decision so monumental and irreversible.

“So much at stake, why not make sure consensus still there,” he added. 

The message comes amid a string of Brexit criticism from Blankfein, stoking fears that banking giant Goldman Sachs could pull staff out of London post-Brexit.
- ADVERTISEMENT -

In October, the CEO triggered reactions from Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May when he used social media to sing the praises of Frankfurt - Germany’s financial centre - adding that he would be “spending a lot more time there”.

“Just left Frankfurt,” he wrote. “Great meetings, great weather, really enjoyed it.

“Good, because I’ll be spending a lot more time there. #Brexit”

Goldman Sachs - who employs around 6,000 UK staff, announced earlier this year that it was leasing office space in Frankfurt large enough for 1,000 workers as part of its “Brexit contingency plan”. 

According to the BBC, this plan includes adding hundreds of staff to its hubs in Paris and Frankfurt so it can continue to work with EU-based customers following Brexit, regardless of the outcome of negotiations. 

This would reportedly involve hiring new European staff and moving UK staff over to the continent. 

Following Blankfein’s Frankfurt tweet, Labour leader Corbyn said that the situation underlined current uncertainties about leaving the EU.

He told the Press Association: “It’s not a good thing if companies of any sort - manufacturing, services or anybody else - are thinking of leaving.

“This really highlights the uncertainty surrounding the Government’s conduct of these negotiations.”

But a spokesperson for the Prime Minister attempted to allay fears by insisting London “is and will remain the world’s leading financial centre”.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk
Author:  Jasmin Gray