The president of Goldman Sachs has urged Britain to stay within the EU, warning, ahead of a May general election, that an exit would put the capital’s status as a major financial centre at risk.

In an interview with the BBC, Gary Cohn said the US investment bank wanted to stay operating in London, the only financial capital to rival New York and the home of Goldman Sachs’ European headquarters.

“I think for the UK it’s imperative to keep the financial services industry in London,” the bank’s president and chief operating officer said. “We all want to stay in London.

“I think that having a great financial capital of the world staying in the UK and having the UK be part of Europe is the best thing for all of us.”