Embattled Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has told staff in London and New York today that rumours of his demise are premature.

Staley’s position has been in question since the bank announced two weeks ago that he was under investigation by UK regulators over his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Yesterday, the Financial Times reported that Barclays was planning to hire headhunters to find his replacement.