It’s Monday morning and Allen Simpson would normally be sitting at his desk in the Barclays tower in Canary Wharf. Instead he is pounding the streets of Maidstone – knocking on doors, pushing leaflets through letterboxes, wearing a red T-shirt with his name on it – as he tries to get elected as its Member of Parliament.

Simpson admits that some of his colleagues back at the bank are a little taken aback by his actions. "I think they think it is slightly eccentric," he says.