The City’s overdue diversity push, the rise of workplace surveillance and a farewell to Linkedin’s City influencers? Lucy McNulty, editor of Following the Rules podcast, takes the pen for today’s Notebook

The City’s diversity push is past due

When regulators floated ideas for boosting diversity and inclusion in the City in late 2023, they generated a buzz of interest. And yet, 10 months on, we’re still waiting for an update on regulators’ final proposals.

“We really need more clarity from regulators on this soon,” one City veteran told me this week. “Bosses are struggling to make any progress. Nobody is clear on what to do, and by when.”

Certainly, delays to policymaking were expected after this summer’s snap election put a hold on regulatory announcements for several weeks. But political pressure on regulators to prioritise growth and widespread backlash to aspects of the proposals have also stalled watchdogs’ efforts to drive these measures through.

A key point of contention was a suggestion from the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority that City firms could be forced to disclose various details about their employees, including their age, sexual orientation, ethnicity and religion – a proposal that lawmakers saw........

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