London attracts almost half of foreign investment into UK, says ONS

New figures highlight challenge faced by government in levelling up the British economy

The government's challenge in levelling up Britain's economy has been highlighted by official data showing London accounted for almost half of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Reflecting the dominance of the capital to the economy and its position as a global financial centre, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said London's FDI was more than three times that of the second highest region - the south-east.