A dispute has broken out between Nigel Farage and the BBC over the broadcaster’s reports of the closure of their bank accounts.
The former UKIP leader has asked a BBC reporter to apologize for reporting that his accounts were closed due to lack of money, not because of his political views, as Farage had claimed.
It comes after Farage obtained documents that he says show that the prestigious private bank Coutts decided to close his account because his views “do not align with our values.”
The former UK Independence Party (Ukip) leader said he obtained a report from the bank’s reputational risk committee used to justify the closure via a matter access request.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said: “I think Coutts attacked me for personal and political reasons, as his report reads more like a pre-trial brief produced by the prosecution in a case against a career criminal.”
On Wednesday, Farage took to Twitter to ask for an apology from the BBC and its business editor Simon Jack, who cited sources in Coutts who claimed the accounts were closed after falling below the required financial threshold. Coutts requires clients to hold at least £1m in investments or loans, or have £3m in savings, to be eligible for an account.
Mr. Jack’s sources told him he was even offered a regular account at NatWest, which owns Coutts, instead.
Farage said: “Will Simon Jack and BBC News apologize for reporting on this story?
“The BBC must correct their original story about me. I’m going to file a complaint.”
He added that Mr. Jack’s reposting of a statement issued by Coutts “was not enough.”
The statement read: “Our ability to respond is restricted by our obligations of client confidentiality. Decisions to close accounts are not taken lightly and take into account a number of factors including business viability, reputational considerations, and legal and regulatory requirements.
“As the client has previously confirmed, alternative banking arrangements have been offered within the broader group.”
Energy Secretary Grant Shapps stepped into the line, saying it was “absolutely embarrassing” for Coutts.
He told Sky News: “I don’t have to agree with everything Nigel Farage says to recognize that free speech is a very important part of our domestic life.
“It’s really outrageous what has happened to some of these banks through this regime, which is known as the PEP regime, or politically exposed persons.
“People shouldn’t have their bank accounts closed because of their political or other opinion. And banks shouldn’t refuse to open accounts because of that either.”
“However, there is a long-standing problem within this country where banks are misapplying guidance and rules. And not just closing accounts, but refusing to open them in the first place, and that shouldn’t be the case.”
Mr Nigel Farage went on to warn that there is a danger of the UK moving towards a ‘Chinese-style social credit system’.
He plans to release 40 pages of documents he obtained after making an access request to Coutts on Wednesday.
Farage said: “It will be published in its entirety. It is a document that is full of everything negative that has been said about me, it is damaging in a way that only the metropolitan elite can do.
He added: “I think it is necessary to check the march of aroused corporatism, and if not, we will end up with a Chinese-style social credit system.
“Only those with acceptable views will be able to fully participate in society. I am effectively unbanked. How do I pay my gas bill? What have I done wrong? I have not broken the law. I have an opinion on issues that it is more popular outside the M25 than in inner London postcodes.”