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Nigel Farage is in the Labor Several accounts were opened with Lloyds Banking Group.
Coutts, the elite private bank owned by NatWest, dropped Farage, the former leader of UK Independence Party and the Brexit Party, as a client partly because of his political views.
“I’m grateful to Lloyds and happy to see at least one commercial bank without political bias,” Farage told the Financial Times on Friday. “I urge everyone to open another bank account because you could be next.”
In July, Farage obtained internal documents from Coutts showing that its reputational risk committee had accused him of “pandering to racists” and “a dishonest liar”. It concluded that his political views were “inconsistent with our position as an inclusive organization” and notified him of its intention to close his account.
Separately, NatWest chief executive Dame Alison Rose admitted she misled a BBC reporter into believing Coutts had made the decision purely for commercial reasons, leading to an unflattering article. Accurate article. Despite receiving support from the board, Ross resigned under pressure from Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Coutts boss Peter Flavell also resigned.
Sky News first reported Farage’s decision to join Lloyds Bank, saying the company’s top brass had approved his offer. Lloyds declined to comment on any individual customers. NatWest declined to comment.
The debanking scandal has prompted investigations into the financial sector’s treatment of alleged politicians and the opaque process for closing accounts. The bank has since agreed to triple the notice period it sends to customers to 90 days and provide a clearer explanation for the decision.
However, a review by the Financial Conduct Authority found no evidence that politicians were denied bank accounts primarily because of their views.
Farage also lodged a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office over the alleged leak of his personal information. Ross said she had never revealed any secrets and later offered to keep his Coutts account in an attempt to appease the former politician and British news host.
Law firm Travers Smith provided a report into the incident to the NatWest board after a brief delay, investigating whether Coutts handled the closing of the Farage account correctly and whether the lender disclosed confidential information about him.
Although the board has promised to publish the review’s findings and recommendations, the Financial Times reports that this is likely to be heavily redacted.
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