I'm sure most of these banks would prefer to stay here but, having said that, I've no doubt they can and would move elsewhere if it suited them for financial and/or regulatory reasons and I can see HSBC heading East in the not too distant future. What those who insist on whining about 'the banks' need to understand is that a) they didn't all take taxpayer's money, b) they didn't all make the same mistakes and c) we desperately need the revenue they provide via corporation tax and indeed taxes on bonuses etc. paid to staff. Some people just don't seem to get that the banks that failed have been bailed out and if we're to have any chance of getting all that money back for the UK taxpayer we need the banking sector to remain strong and profitable. I've heard so many people say we should just let them and the fat cats all go and be done with it. Well, since the damage has been done and the money already stumped up, in what way does that serve the interests of the UK taxpayer? How does losing all that tax and the jobs (direct and indirect) that go with the banks serve the UK?...
Having spent so much I'd have thought the best policy would be to create an environment in which the mistakes cannot be repeated and the taxpayer gets their money back from a successful, well governed, UK based banking sector.