Those who are happy to pay a lot of money to hire a push-bike in London but less happy to ride around on it promoting one of the UK’s deservedly most criticised banks will be relieved to hear that Barclays is dropping out of the sponsorship deal it made with its good friend and current London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

Barclays, voted the most unethical bank in a list of 46 by Ethical Consumer magazine, is also tipped to drop its £40 million a year sponsorship of the football Premier League, leaving the field open for another rich but flawed firm that the League won’t be too fussy about associating with.

Last year Barclays also awarded senior staff almost £2.4 billion in bonuses, 10% up on 2012, as it prepared to sack 12,000 mostly junior members of staff, and amid falling profits and a high incidence of misselling.