Nigel Farage on ‘vitriol’ in document he claims shows why Coutts bank account was closed
Nigel Farage has described a document he claims showed Coutts closed his bank account because it did not agree with his political views as “prejudiced and nasty”.
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader said he was shocked by the “vitriol” within the document as he called for a change in legislation to ensure the right of an individual to open a bank account.
Mr Farage said he had a 40-page document showing he met the “criteria for commercial retention” but the exclusive bank Coutts – used by the Royal Family – wanted him to leave because of his views which range from his position on LGBT+ rights, through to his friendship with former US president Donald Trump.
He told Sky News: “It’s such a prejudiced, nasty document. It’s the metropolitan elite loathing the views of the many millions of us that live outside the M25.
“I was shocked with the vitriol that was within it.
“My case is one clearly of discrimination. They do not like my opinions. All of my views are legal. All of my views actually are majority views in the country.
“It is wrong that banks can just close people down and not give any reasons why that is, I think that is going to change.”
Sky News has not seen the document in question.
Mr Farage claimed 10 banks have refused to open an account in his name, saying he may “effectively become a non-person” without a method of banking.
“You can’t exist. You can’t live. Luckily, there are some 21st century technical fintech operations out there through which I will be able to receive income and pay money out [but] it’s not a bank account,” he said.
“I can’t earn interest on the money. I can’t borrow money. I can’t have an overdraft limit. I can’t take out a mortgage. I haven’t quite yet worked out whether I can do direct debits to the electricity supplier.
“I can get by [but] it’s not the same as a bank account. It is a deeply personal issue.
“To announce to the world that a bank has foreclosed on you is quite an embarrassing thing to do and without doubt will affect my credit worthiness for years to come.”
Mr Farage called for “regulatory change”.
Read more: What are PEPs and are banks allowed to close their accounts?
“I believe it should be a right in this country for any individual to have a bank account, to open a business account. I’m actually quite optimistic with this debate that it can happen.”
Sky News has learned that further secondary legislation due to be unveiled soon will require banks to give customers three months’ notice of account closures and to provide a full explanation.
Mr Farage spoke about the level of support he has received after going public with his financial situation, after Conservative MPs raised his case in the House of Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions.
“Never before in my public life have I received such support from across the political spectrum.
“I’m normally what’s considered to be a polarising figure, but on this people can see was the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong.”
He added: “Don’t forget I’ve been fighting against the Conservative Party for many, many years – Grant Shapps and I [are] not exactly political friends. He’s spoken out on it.
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Rishi Sunak says that anyone who has a bank account closed can refer to an ombudsman.
“Several Labour have now spoken out and this is a non-partisan issue. This is not about politics.”
Former cabinet ministers David Davis and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier, a Coutts spokesperson said decisions to close accounts “are not taken lightly and take into account a number of factors including commercial viability, reputational considerations, and legal and regulatory requirements”.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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