Nigel Farage says Coutts has offered to reinstate his bank accounts after row

01 August 2023 , 07:04

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Nigel Farage says Coutts has offered to reinstate his bank accounts after row

Nigel Farage claims Coutts has U-turned after an explosive row over the closure of his bank accounts.

The former Ukip leader launched a crusade against the private bank and its parent company NatWest after complaining that his account was unfairly shut down because Coutts did not agree with his political views. Reports initially blamed lack of funds for the closure but Mr Farage later shared an internal report which branded him a “grifter” and said some people saw him as “xenophobic and racist".

The row led to the resignation of NatWest chief executive Dame Alison Rose and Coutts boss Peter Flavel, as ministers and Tory MPs flocked to defend Mr Farage. Banks are not allowed to bar customers from using their services based on their political views. NatWest has since announced an independent review, with lawyers probing the closure of Mr Farage's account and other instances of de-banking by Coutts.

Mr Farage, speaking on his GB News programme, said: "The new CEO of Coutts, Mo Syed, somebody who has held very senior positions within that bank, is now the boss and he has written to me to say I can keep both my personal and my business accounts. And that's good and I thank him for it."

NatWest chief executive Alison Rose was forced to resign over the row (Handout)

But Mr Farage said "enormous harm" has been done to him in the last few months and he was seeking compensation, as well as a face-to-face meeting with the bank's bosses. He has also launched a campaign to tackle bank account closures.

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The former MEP said: "It has taken up a huge amount of my time and it has cost me, so far, quite a lot of money in legal fees so I have today sent a legal litigation letter to Coutts where I want some full apologies, I want some compensation for my costs, but - more important than all of that - I want a face-to-face meeting with the bank's bosses.

"I want to find out how many other people in Coutts or NatWest have had accounts closed because of their political opinions, and I want to make sure this never happens to anybody else ever again. So the fight goes on."

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Richard Wheeler