International Competitiveness and Financial Regulators’ Mandates: Coming Around Again in the UK

Abstract Using post-Brexit regulatory freedom to strengthen the financial sector has been seen as a priority for the UK government under the Conservative Party following the 2017 general election. The laying before Parliament of the Financial Services and Markets Bill (July 2022) marked the start of a multi-year process aiming to transform the regulatory framework. Adding a competitiveness and growth secondary objective to regulatory mandates was an important part of the reform agenda set out in the Bill. This article draws on theory (regulatory competition, regulatory procyclicality, and regulatory design) and recent history (post 2008-crisis regulatory reform) to question the wisdom of reinstating international competitiveness in regulatory mandates in this way. The key concern is that this change risks opening the door to an excessively deregulatory agenda and the undermining of regulatory independence. That the new competitiveness and growth objective will be used to advance deregulatory agenda was already becoming evident during 2022 as the UK debated the adaptation and evolution of EU-derived prudential and capital market laws to suit its new situation. Since the competitiveness and growth objective bandwagon may have become unstoppable, the article directs attention to the role of accountability in protecting regulatory independence. Regulators need to be able to resist pressure to lower standards unduly, and an effective system of accountability can support them in doing so.