The Capitalist: slim pickings at Mansion House
A slither of salmon at Mansion House, protein-packed ‘Super Plates’ at Pret and a self-appreciating AI. Catch up with all the latest gossip from the Square Mile with The Capitalist
The Capitalist rubbed shoulders with the City’s great and good at Mansion House on Tuesday, where a decidedly upbeat Rachel Reeves told the assembled financiers that she wanted to unleash them. After an hour of speeches, many were itching to unleash themselves. The Lord Mayor kicked things off by saying that he told President Macron “if you want to insure against catastrophe, you do it in London…if you want to raise equity, you do it in London…and if you want to fall out with your partners, you sue them in London.” It’s not clear whether the Lord Mayor was commenting on the French President’s marriage. As is tradition, one of the many formal toasts was “to the health of the Governor of the Bank of England” – and the menu was clearly designed with a slimmed-down Andrew Bailey in mind; a slither of salmon with broccoli salsa on a spinach sauce – while in place of a proper pud guests were offered “dessert canapés” on their way out. It comes to something when the only red meat on offer at a City banquet came in the form of the Chancellor’s pledge to ‘lift the boot of regulation off the neck of enterprise.’
Happy AI Appreciation Day, from AI
The Capitalist would like to thank all PRs who keep us at City PM on top of major business events, with this week proving particularly busy. Rachel Reeves may have delivered her much-anticipated Mansion House speech on Tuesday, but that’s been quickly eclipsed by AI Appreciation Day (yesterday) along with World Emoji Day (today – and a happy one to you). A quick ChatGPT search informs us that AI Appreciation Day was established by a no-stakes-involved outfit known as A.I. Heart LLC, which another quick ChatGPT search tells us is a company best (or only) known for creating AI Appreciation Day, with “limited publicly available information” about it.
Spin the Pret prize wheel
We all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch, yet that didn’t stop hundreds of City workers from being hoodwinked by Pret A Manger this week. The Capitalist was stunned to see hundreds of workers queuing diligently down Cheapside for the opportunity to get a free ‘Super Plate’, the rat-racer-favourite coffee chain’s new premium, protein-promising, prohibitively priced (£12.95!) lunch option which represents its entry into the City’s long-fought salad wars. Punters left with their plates, a branded tote bag and a spin of the Pret prize wheel, on which, if you were lucky, you won a free banana. The real price of this free lunch then? Dignity. Though The Capitalist, a Farmer J purist, can’t deny the plates looked good.
What political tribe are you?
Westminster’s WhatsApp groups have been lit up by a quiz that sorts contestants into seven political ‘tribes’. Wonks and hacks are scratching their heads over whether it’s more shaming to be a ‘progressive activist’ or a ‘dissenting disruptor’? Only one of the tribes identified by More in Common – Established Liberal – is described as commuting into the City, listening to economics podcasts and representing just nine per cent of the British population. No free bananas for guessing what The Capitalist got.