“I also am worried that the bank had commented on Mr Farage’s income and wealth in public, at least it appeared to brief newspapers last week or the week before. Lord Macpherson, a Conservative peer and former permanent secretary to the Treasury, told Andrew Marr on LBC that he was worried that the bank had commented on Mr Farage’s finances.Īsked if the country was in a dangerous place owing to the closure of Mr Farage’s bank account, Lord Macpherson said: “I think this is a worrying development. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, told the Treasury select committee that the leak to the BBC about Mr Farage’s finances was “concerning”. The story quoted “people familiar with Coutts’ move”. Writing in The Telegraph, Lord Frost, the former minister of state at the Cabinet Office, says that “executives who close banking facilities for political reasons should not be considered ‘fit and proper’ people to run banks”.ĭame Alison and Mr Jack sat together at the BBC Correspondents’ Charity Dinner at London’s Langham hotel on July 3, the day before Mr Jack published a story on the BBC website saying Mr Farage had been rejected because his finances did not meet a threshold set by Coutts. Frankly, it looks like wokeism on the part of certain officials at Coutts.” “There was no good financial reason for taking away Nigel Farage’s account and it’s quite clear from the documents that it was straightforward censorship. I certainly think she should go, she’s presided over this. In that case, she should go.”ĭavid Jones, a former Cabinet minister, said: “The buck stops with the person at the top. “Dame Alison is the head, and the person at the top normally takes responsibility when a company has done something dreadful. Peter Bone, a former Conservative deputy leader of the House of Commons, said: “To say she has serious questions to answer is mild. The NatWest group, of which Coutts is a subsidiary offering private banking to the wealthy, is 39 per cent owned by the taxpayer after it was bailed out by the Labour government during the 2008 financial crisis.ĭame Alison faces questions over whether she was sent a dossier on Mr Farage – which said his views “do not align with our values” – before the decision was taken to close his accounts. Mr Farage has accused Coutts of being more interested in imposing a woke agenda than ensuring it provides the best value for its shareholders, who include the British public. On Wednesday the Financial Conduct Authority, the banking regulator, said it was in contact with NatWest, while a Treasury minister is understood to have spoken to Dame Alison. It is understood that plans are also being drawn up that could mean banks’ licences are removed if they target customers over their views. The Telegraph understands that new laws could be announced as soon as Thursday to prevent banks from turning customers away on the basis of their views or beliefs. Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, described the blacklisting of Mr Farage as “sinister” and Rishi Sunak promised to “crack down” on banks that de-bank customers simply for exercising their right to free speech. Responding to news that Mr Jack and Dame Alison had dined together before the BBC published its story, Mr Farage said: “They are all part of the same, metropolitan elite, Remainer club.” The Telegraph can disclose that Dame Alison sat next to Simon Jack, the BBC’s business editor, at a charity dinner the night before Mr Jack wrote a story claiming Mr Farage had been de-banked for “commercial” reasons – a story now described as “concerning” by the banking watchdog.īoth the BBC and NatWest both refused to comment or answer any questions about the dinner. Senior MPs said Dame Alison Rose should “take responsibility” after documents showed Mr Farage was targeted by Coutts, a subsidiary of NatWest, because of his political views. The chief executive of NatWest is under mounting pressure over the closure of Nigel Farage’s bank accounts after the Prime Minister spoke out against the “wrong” decision.
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