Some employees at the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority headed into the office as usual today despite the three-week lockdown announced by prime minister Boris Johnson to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The FCA’s headquarters in Stratford, east London, remains open for a handful of employees deemed “essential staff” of the regulator, according to a person familiar with the matter. Some staff at the FCA's Edinburgh headquarters are also working from the office. The regulator employs around 4,000 people in the two cities.