The claim that "In the Eighties and Nineties, London was becoming in many ways a genuine global centre for very hard work" is embedded in a broader assertion by Farage that London became a global center for entrepreneurial flair, innovation, hard work, and profit creation during that period. The factual core — that London was becoming a genuine global financial center during the 1980s and 1990s — is well-supported by extensive evidence. The 1986 "Big Bang" deregulation of the London Stock Exchange is widely credited with transforming the City of London into a global financial powerhouse. The BBC documented that the Big Bang "revolutionised its fortunes and turning it into a financial capital to rival New York," with electronic trading, an influx of foreign-owned firms, and soaring trade volumes. Reuters similarly reported that the deregulation "cemented London's role as a global financial powerhouse." The Bank of England's own 1989 Quarterly Bulletin described London as "a major centre for international eurocurrency business, eurobond transactions, insurance, foreign exchange, fund management and corporate financial advice," noting that international assets of UK banks grew from $184 billion in 1975 to $1,124 billion by 1988. Academic research in the Financial History Review describes the period from the 1970s to the 1990s as a "revolution in international financial markets" driven by deregulation and financial innovation, with London as a key center. The "very hard work" element is somewhat subjective, but it is consistent with the well-documented high-pressure, long-hours culture of the City during this transformation. Employment in financial and business services grew dramatically — the Bank of England noted hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the sector during the 1980s — and the culture of intense activity in trading, market-making, and investment banking was widely reported. The claim is phrased with appropriate qualification ("in many ways," "becoming") and does not overstate London's position — it was becoming, not yet surpassing New York, and faced challenges from Tokyo and others. Sources: BBC News, "How the Big Bang changed the City of London for ever" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37751599); Reuters, "London's Big Bang at 25, origin of today's financial universe" (https://www.reuters.com/article/markets/londons-big-bang-at-25-origin-of-todays-financial-universe-idUSL5E7LO1T7/); Bank of England, "London as an international financial centre" Quarterly Bulletin 1989 (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/quarterly-bulletin/1989/london-as-an-international-financial-centre.pdf); Cambridge University Press / Financial History Review, "Big Bang in the City of London" (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/abs/big-bang-in-the-city-of-london-an-intentional-revolution-or-an-accident/BA85A853A5A07EF6FD8F5C31AA50D804); Cambridge University Press / Financial History Review, "Regulatory foundations of financialisation: May Day, Big Bang and international banking, 1975–1990" (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/financial-history-review/article/abs/regulatory-foundations-of-financialisation-may-day-big-bang-and-international-banking-19751990/BC64CC16626696DD23496ED3DB82A9B6)