Each year, the grand halls of London’s Mansion House host a tradition as steeped in symbolism as it is in history – the chancellor of the exchequer’s address to the City’s financial elite. It’s a moment where the government articulates its economic compass, linking the fortunes of financial markets to the national good.

In 2009, in the shadow of the global financial crisis, then-Labour chancellor Alistair Darling stood at Mansion House and rebuked excess. He urged a reset – a financial system anchored to trust, stability and the real economy.