Chris Leslie MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to HSBC’s announcement on jobs, said:

“This is a devastating blow for thousands of HSBC’s workforce. Frontline staff deserve to be treated fairly, so the bank’s management should take a voluntary approach to reductions in the number of workers wherever possible. The Government should work with HSBC and encourage them to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies and also ensure that support is provided to the parts of the country worst affected.”