British banking group Barclays said yesterday it was cutting 6,000 jobs in Britain this year as it fights to stay competitive in a business transformed by technology and globalisation.

Barclays, one of Britain's four main clearing banks, said the cost of laying off around one in 10 of its British workforce would lead to a restructuring charge of up to £400 million sterling (€607 million) this year. Apparently clearing the decks before the appointment of a new chief executive, Barclays' chairman and acting chief executive, Mr Peter Middleton, said a third of an expected annual £200 million saving from the cuts would come through this year.