Farage debanking scandal ‘just the tip of the iceberg’, warns Ann Widdecombe

Jul 29, 2023 at 10:24 AM
Farage debanking scandal ‘just the tip of the iceberg’, warns Ann Widdecombe

Nigel Farage’s “debanking” is “just the tip of the iceberg” by way of individuals being discriminated in opposition to for his or her views, former Tory minister has mentioned.

The resolution by Coutts to cancel Mr Farage’s checking account earlier this month has confirmed enormously controversial, with the previous UKIP and Brexit Party chief acquiring a file proving the NatWest-owned non-public financial institution took the choice as a result of it had discovered his public statements did “not align” with its values.

The BBC subsequently apologised to the 59-year-old for claimed he had lacked the mandatory funds to carry an account at Coutts.

NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose resigned on Wednesday after admitting to being the supply of the story, whereas Coutts counterpart Peter Flavel adopted go well with yesterday, explaining that it was “right that I bear ultimate responsibility for this”.

Ms Widdecombe advised Express.co.uk: “The thing that nobody’s talking about is that he lost his bank account but then he said originally that he tried several multiple banks and they all refused.

“So the question is on what grounds did they they refuse?

“We’ve all been focusing on Coutts and NatWest and everybody’s lost sight of that equally important statement, which is that having been turned down by one bank, he couldn’t get into another.

“What this tells us that what’s happening in Coutts is happening throughout the banking sector.”

Ms Widdecombe admitted: “It’s all surprised me actually, that the bank would go that far. It’s all surprised me.

“If it was easy for him to just move to another bank then you could say well, that was just Coutts’. But clearly it wasn’t just Coutts.”

Ms Widdecombe, a former Tory MP and Brexit Party MEP, confused that the problem of discriminating in opposition to individuals primarily based on their private opinions stretched past the monetary sector.

She defined: “This is just the tip of the iceberg. The government is focusing on the bank, whereas this sort of treatment is much more widespread than that.

“Businesses discriminate, local services discriminate and it’s time to get rid of woke across the entire system.

“We know that teachers have lost their jobs because they won’t teach more than two sexes.

“We know it goes on already, it’s no big revelation, but nobody’s doing anything about it.”

Mr Farage’s resolution to go public had already had an impression, Ms Widdecombe acknowledged.

She mentioned: The authorities is already taking motion, they’ve already referred to as the banks in to inform them what they suppose.

“The government is actually doing something but my point is they are only doing it with the banks.”

Asked whether or not Dame Alison’s resolution to give up drew a line underneath the state of affairs, she added: “They can’t draw a line under it.

“I mean, it draws a line under it for her, but not under the whole issue.”

The debanking controversy rumbled on this week, with Gina Miller – not like Mr Farage, a fierce opponent of Brexit – confirming that Monzo had closed the checking account of her fledgling political celebration True and Fair.

A Monzo spokeswoman mentioned: “Like lots of banks, we do not accept any political parties as Monzo Business customers in the same way that we don’t currently accept trusts, clubs and a range of other organisations.

“In this case, the account wasn’t initially categorised as a political celebration.”

Mr Farage put aside his political variations to supply his sympathy, tweeting: “This is just plain wrong at every level. I stand with @thatginamiller.”