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Conservatives consider sale of bank stakes to private investors
CONSERVATIVE shadow chancellor George Osborne would consider selling the government’s stakes in Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland to non-banking investors, if the Tories win the general election.
Osborne is understood to be in favour of greater diversity on the share registers of the banks and is keen to show that a Conservative administration would reward taxpayers for bailing out UK lenders.
City bankers have raised the idea of selling the stakes into the hands of ordinary investors, a plan which is now one of a range of options being considered by the party.
A member of Osborne’s advisory team said: “We are considering all options. This is one option being considered, but no decisions have been made.”