‘I’m still proud of what we created’: Metro Bank’s 14-year rollercoaster ride

From its lavish launch parties to a 2019 accounting scandal, the UK challenger bank has been beset by controversy

In early 2008, inside the Seashell fish and chip shop in Marylebone, west London, Anthony Thomson was about to make a deal.

Sitting with the American billionaire Vernon Hill over cod and chips, he revealed plans to import the tycoon's template for a US-style, consumer-focused bank to the UK. Hill gave Thomson his blessing, and ultimately, a chunk of his money, joining him as co-founder.