(Reuters) - An advisory forum on Brexit bringing together figures from Britain's financial services industry who campaigned on both sides of the referendum debate will formally launch on Oct. 19.
Anthony Belchambers, a former head of the Futures and Options Association, will head the honorary advisory council of the Financial Services Negotiation Forum (FSNForum), whose members include Conservative Party politicians Stephen Hammond and Mark Field.
The forum aims to give smaller financial firms a voice in lobbying on Britain's future relationship with the European Union. It would be an alternative to the advisory committee headed by Shriti Vadera, chairman of the UK arm of Spain's Banco Santander , (MC:SAN) and a former business minister.
"We very much support this new forum and its balanced work agenda, particularly its policy of reaching out to the less well represented participants in the financial sector", Daniel Hodson, from pro-Leave group The City for Britain, said in a statement.
The forum will work independently and produce neutral, evidence-based research on key issues relating to Britain's EU exit negotiations.