Members of the London Stock Exchange have elected by a show of hands to keep Don Cruickshank as chairman and Michael Marks of Merrill Lynch as executive chairman while vetoeing the re-election of Gavin Casey as chief executive.

However, due to a narrow voting margin on the three resolutions, the future of all three executives will now be decided in a secret poll at the exchange's agm in London today. If the ballot has a different outcome, it will overrule the first vote. The results should be known shortly.