Brexit has been a ‘disaster’ that has cost the City 40,000 jobs, that is the damning assessment of Lord Mayor Martin Mainelli.
In an interview with Reuters, Mainelli said the impact of Brexit had been far worse and deeper than previously estimated.
Dublin has been the biggest beneficiary, he said, adding 10,000 positions, while Paris, Amsterdam and even Milan had been net gainers from people quitting financial jobs in the UK.
"We had 525,000 workers in 2016,” he said. “I estimate that we lost just short of 40,000."
He added, however, that the City was now growing again, especially in areas beyond finance.
Worker numbers have swelled to 615,000 as insurers and data analysis sectors grow, he said.
"The City voted 70-30 to remain. We did not want it," Mainelli told Reuters and efforts to restore relations with Europe are stepping up, he said.
New PM Keir Starmer is also trying to rebuild some form of common agreement that would see for example a mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
Mainelli added: "There's a lot more we could do on visas" to help the City. "We're also working on bilateral trade deals with Germany," he said.