Witty comment shows tax exiles the way back

The chancellor was not able to announce the return of WPP and Sir Martin Sorrell to these shores. But United Business Media, which has also moved its domicile to Dublin, said it is "actively considering" a return because of the commitment to change the rules on profits earned abroad. Call it a mini-triumph for Osborne. The chancellor has probably succeeded in stemming the flow of evacuees. He has been helped in large measure by comments from the likes of Andrew Witty, chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline, who told the Observer last weekend it was "completely wrong" for businesses to view themselves as "mid-Atlantic floating entities" and to float in and out of societies according to the tax regime. That's the spirit.