Banking

Labour is planning to force a vote on guaranteeing in-person banking across the country, following swathes of branch closures that have left local communities without face-to-face services.The party’s amendment to the financial services and markets bill would give City regulators the power to ensure communities have regular access to “essential” in-person services, including opening new accounts, applying for loans, making and receiving payments and setting up standing orders.That could mean protecting bank branches that would otherwise be at risk of closing, or creating hubs with shared services in poorly served...