BLOG

Two leading economists argue that personal finance is broken at a structural level — and the UK government's response of deregulation and a cartoon squirrel won't fix it.

The FCA's £46 million Woodford fines may never be paid despite concluding a six-year investigation. With Woodford Investment Management holding just £30,000 in assets against the £40 million corporate penalty, collection looks impossible. Legal precedents show other firms typically pay regulatory fines, but the Woodford fines break this pattern due to insolvency. Both Neil Woodford and his firm have referred their penalties to the Upper Tribunal, meaning no payment is current

After six years, Neil Woodford faces a £5.9m fine - barely 4% of the £160m+ in fees he extracted from investors. With thousands losing their life savings in the fund collapse, this penalty is truly a drop in the ocean compared to the wealth destruction caused and personal enrichment gained.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Leeds Reforms promise growth through financial deregulation, but they risk repeating pre-2008 mistakes. Pension funds face pressure to invest in expensive private equity, consumer protections are being quietly eroded, and banking safeguards dismantled. It's regulatory amnesia in action - and ordinary savers will pay the price.