Overworked Lloyds chief 'back at work soon'

The chairman of taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group said today he was “very confident” that its chief executive would be “back in harness” before the end of the year after taking unexpected leave of absence because of stress.

It emerged yesterday that Antonio Horta-Osorio, who became Lloyds chief executive in March, is understood to be suffering from fatigue due to overwork and had taken leave following medical advice.