As chancellor from 1997-2007, Gordon Brown's approach was to shear the sheep, not kill them. Leftwing demands to increase the top rate of income tax and abolish tax concessions for foreign non-domiciled residents were ignored and capital gains tax was cut. The government went out of its way to help the City. The Financial Services Authority was encouraged to foster innovation and preserve London's competitive position through light-touch regulation, and foreign banks and bankers flocked to London. Politicians praised the City as a beacon for the knowledge economy. Senior financiers applauded the government's actions and were welcomed into Westminster and Whitehall.
在1997年至2007年担任英国财政大臣期间，戈登•布朗(Gordon Brown)采取的方式是剪羊毛，而不是宰羊。对于左翼有关提高所得税最高税率以及废除非英国定居的外国居民税收减免政策的要求，布朗置之不理，同时降低了资本利得税。英国政府不辞辛苦地帮助金融城，鼓励英国金融服务管理局(FSA)通过实施温和的监管，促进创新并保持伦敦的竞争地位。因此，外国银行和银行家纷纷来到伦敦。政治家将金融城誉为知识manbetx20客户端下载 的灯塔。高级金融家欢迎政府的举措，他们在威斯敏斯特（Westminster，英国议会所在地)和白厅（Whitehall，英国政府所在地）都受到欢迎。