Kurt Zindulka19 Jul 2023
Nigel ‘Mr Brexit’ Farage had his bank account shut down as a result of his ties to former President Donald Trump, tennis star Novak Djokovic, seemingly spurious accusations of ties to Russia, and his positions on Brexit, vaccines, LGBT issues, and others which were deemed by Coutts bank to “not align with our values”. Contrary to reports in the BBC and the Financial Times, in which an unnamed Coutts bank source claimed that Nigel Farage had fallen below a financial threshold to maintain his account, a subject access request filed by the Brexit leader shows that the main motivation was actually political in nature.
A 40-page document produced by the bank and provided to Mr Farage and The Daily Telegraph showed that the bank acknowledged multiple times that he fulfilled the “economic contribution criteria for commercial retention”, meaning that it was not for lack of funds that his account was shut down.
In the document, the bank was shown to have decided in November of last year that it did not believe that continuing to bank with Mr Farage was “compatible with Coutts given his publicly-stated views that were at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation”. In an apparent attempt to cover their tracks, the bank claimed that it was not a “political decision but one centred around inclusivity and purpose.”
One such infringement of the bank’s stance on “inclusivity” was apparently his longstanding friendship with former President Donald Trump, who is mentioned 39 times in the bank’s dossier on Mr Farage. “The fact that I support Donald Trump is part of this charge sheet,” Farage said. Coutts also cited his friendship with Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic as evidence of him not being “inclusive”, presumably over the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s refusal to take the coronavirus vaccine............. To Read More....
Update 10:21 AM: UK: Banks could lose licenses under new rules cracking down on customer discrimination over political views - By 4 Comments - This is a precedent-setting move that we hope other nations will emulate. “After Nigel Farage’s banks accounts were closed by Coutts because his views ‘did not align with’ the bank’s values….senior conservative MPs have put pressure on Coutts,” and reports indicate that “ministers are considering making free speech protections a condition of permits.” This puts banks at the risk of “losing their licences if they close accounts because they disagree with the customer’s political opinions under plans to protect free speech.” It’s about time. It isn’t only woke governments that are acting in a totalitarian fashion. Businesses have joined in. Far too many businesses today have become activist arbitrators of public views, Reuters also reported:.........
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