BlackRock urges U.K.’s Starmer to make global competition easier, FT says

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer held discussions with BlackRock (BLK) CEO Larry Fink, as Starmer aims to rebuild relations with business leaders following last month’s budget updates, the Financial Times’ Jim Pickard and Brooke Masters report. Several executives from the company’s board joined the meeting on Downing Street alongside chancellor Rachel Reeves and investment minister Poppy Gustaffsson on Thursday, the authors say. During the meeting, BlackRock executives voiced concerns about regulatory delays for businesses and urged the U.K. government to make it easier for global corporations to compete in the country, the authors say, citing people with knowledge of the discussion. Starmer responded by outlining his plan to overhaul British regulators, streamline regulatory approval processes, and establish a more consistent regulatory framework, the authors note.