Willis boss Joe Plumeri is never short of a sharp turn of phrase and his speech at this week's FSA insurance sector conference was no exception.

Amid a passionate discourse on the importance of putting the customer at the forefront of business (in essence, there's no need for regulation if the customer is at the heart of everything), Plumeri threw in a surreal simile about the perils of arguing with the FSA.

"It's like wrestling a pig," he quipped to a bemused audience. "Sooner or later you realise the pig enjoys it. So why get in the ring?"

Backchat thought he saw a smile cross the lips of outgoing FSA chief John Tiner as he, no doubt, anticipated the future wrestling matches with his old colleagues once he takes up a lucrative job in the private sector.

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