If London was flooded and went the same way as New Orleans where would our Government relocate to?

Question

and which city, if any, might become our new financial centre and why?

Answer 1

Well, Oxford seems to be the favoured choice, historically - that's where they went during sundry plagues and invasion threats. These days, it might be (Shudder) Birmingham!

Answer 2

I believe that the Government has an emergency arrangement to use the Police College at Bramshill in Hampshire as its headquarters in such circumstances, although clearly different functions would go to different places. Incidentally, I hope and presume they have a back-up to this back-up!

In relation to finance, the City of London has for many years been a conceptual idea as much as a physical one, for instance in that the stock market works using IT rather than a trading floor. All the major financial institutions have extensive backups to fall back on. and many of their offices are not in London anyway.

The Government used to have a bunker at Corsham near Bath proof against nuclear attack, but this arrangement appears to have been overtaken by history.

Obviously the powers that be will not have made fully public their emergency arrangements for security reasons, and nor should they do so.

Other successful countries such as the United States (New York and Washington) and Germany (Frankfurt and Berlin) have separate financial and political centres. Leaving aside emergencies, my personal view is that the United Kingdom would be economically stronger if it decentralised rather than focus so overwhelmingly on London or any other one centre of power.

Answer 3

Leicester would be much more central though I suspect that their preference would be for one of the regional HQs, Edinburgh or Cardiff. Or they might consider Birmingham, Leeds or Bristol where there are already big government offices. Financial Centre - Leeds because all the main banks have offices there.

Answer 4

Oh, how much fun that would be! The country would tear itself apart in sheer terror, and then some asshole with a head full of bravado will come up and say how strong Britain is as a country, while in the backdrop people are standing around stupidly and making a big show out of themselves!

Answer 5

a little room at the back of the welsh assembly with the brooms, high rent and no free homes on offer paid by us. Put them up in bed and breakfast, make them share a bathroom and charge them rent, welsh council tax and water rates, let them eat leeks and have Glyn from big brother teach them the welsh language.

Answer 6

Washington DC

Answer 7

I think the plan in the Cold War was Cheltenham. I imagine the infratructure would still be in place to support that.

Answer 8

Your Government will relocate to NIgeria or South Africa.

Answer 9

Scotland.. then they could use that multi'million pound shack and Glasgow for the finance it must be the most corrupt city on the planet.

Answer 10

Bolton