Relax planning laws and build more homes for prosperity, says Skipton chief

Eyebrows were raised little more than a year ago when Stuart Haire jumped from HSBC, where he ran UK personal and private banking, to become chief executive of Skipton Building Society.

He was very much near the top of the global giant’s star executive chart, having held senior roles within M&S Bank, First Direct and John Lewis Financial Services, as well as HSBC UK. Compared to the mighty HSBC, the Skipton was seen as something of a backwater. He’s smiling, nodding, when this reaction is put to him. He remembers it well.

Here he is, though, 49 and having just presented an impressive set of annual results, with a performance that would do