There are few things more frustrating than boarding a plane only to be left stuck on the tarmac. Mergers and acquisitions bankers focused on the UK know the feeling well.

Acquisitions by UK companies stand at a 17-year low. Activity between January and July 17 this year is valued at $58.9 billion, down 2% on the same period last year. This is the lowest level since 1996, according to Dealogic. By way of comparison, total acquisitions by UK companies in the same period during 2007, a record year for activity, were 6.7 times that of 2013.