Nigel Farage has said he is considering suing Coutts’ owner, NatWest, after his bank account was closed, sparking a major dispute over free speech and interventions by top government officials.
The arch-Brexiteer and former Ukip leader claimed the bank had maligned him with comments he made in official documents about why it no longer wanted him as a customer.
It is the latest twist in an extraordinary dispute between Farage and the private bank, which apologized to Farage earlier this week.
Farage also demands an apology from the BBC, which reported that Coutts had closed the account because there was not enough money in it. The corporation amended its story but has not issued an apology.
The Brexit supremo said it would be “difficult” to sue the BBC but was considering “all options” against NatWest.
He said: “It is difficult to sue the BBC, but I am considering all options for what I will do next, including legal action against NatWest.
“What was said about me in the report was unfair and defamatory.”
Farage, 59, suggested last month that his account had been closed in revenge for Brexit or because he was a “politically exposed person” (PEP).
Through a subject matter access request, Mr. Farage obtained a file from the bank that allegedly cited Mr. Farage’s retweet of a joke by the comedian. ricky gervais about trans women and her friendship with the tennis player Novak Djokovicwho opposes COVID-19 vaccines, to flag concerns that it was “xenophobic and racist.”
The dossier, made public by Mr. Farage earlier this week, also repeated previous press reports, coming from an old school friend, that a teenage Farage sang “Gas ’em all, gas ’em all” about the Jewish people, as well as claims reported in the press by a former teacher that he “once marched through a Sussex town singing Hitler Youth songs.”
Nigel Farage criticized parts of the NatWest Group boss’s statement, following his apology (Jonathan Brady/PA)
(PA cord)
Coutts subsequently apologized to Mr. Farage, with Dame alison rose, chief executive of NatWest Group, writing to the politician insisting that comments made in the dossier by Coutts “do not reflect the opinion of the bank.”
But now the pressure is mounting on Coutts’ bosses over the “deeply inappropriate” comments made about Farage. Speculation is growing that Coutts CEO Peter Flavel may have to take responsibility for the fiasco, as the final decision on Mr Farage’s account rested with him.
Insiders say that Dame Alison didn’t catch on to what was going on and that Flavel didn’t do enough to keep her fully updated.
Mr. Flavel, a Harvard Business School alumnus, joined Coutts as CEO in 2016 from JP Morgan.
Banking expert Sir Philip Augar said on Friday that Dame Alison’s apology to Mr Farage may not be enough to save his job and end the controversy.
“It may not end for NatWest and it may not end for Alison Rose in particular,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Coutts is a private bank exclusively for the ultra-rich
(fake images)
“You can’t have a utility-type industry deciding who is free to give political opinions and who is not. It hits the core of democracy. It’s like a water or electricity company saying ‘we don’t supply you because we don’t like your political views’”.
Asked if he should resign, Sir Philip said: “It depends on how much you knew (about the decision to ban Farage) and when.”
On Thursday the Treasury announced that tighten the rules about when and how a person’s account can be closed, in an effort to protect “freedom of expression”.
Under the new regulations, banks will have to explain in detail why they are canceling an account and give customers 90 days notice. The change is intended to give account holders more time to challenge decisions with the financial ombudsman.
The apology comes after pressure from senior conservative politicians over the decision. Rishi Sunak’s press secretary told reporters on Wednesday that it would be “incredibly worrying and wrong” if Farage’s accounts were shut down because of his political views.