The UK's top earners have been hit hard in today's Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling looked to higher income groups to plug the country’s huge budget deficit.

A surprise increase in stamp duty on houses worth more than £1m, a freezing of inheritance tax thresholds, measures to clamp down on tax avoidance, and a plan to remove gradually the value of personal allowances for people with incomes over £100,000 a year - the top 2% - mean many in the securities industry in the UK will be worse off thanks to the changes than they may have expected.