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Metro Bank has insisted it is politically neutral after being accused of closing down the Reform UK party’s account because of its support for Brexit.

The party’s leader Richard Tice believes Reform has been caught up in the same debanking scandal as his friend and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and has written to Metro demanding answers.

The Treasury has announced banks will be forced to give customers three months’ notice of account closures and to provide a full explanation of the reasons in response to the controversy triggered by wealthy private bank Coutts cutting ties with Mr Farage.

rexit Party presentation on postal votes
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage (left) and party chairman Richard Tice at a presentation on postal votes at Carlton House Terrace in London.
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Picture by: Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive/PA Images
Date taken: 24-Jun-2019
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Richard Tice (right) pictured with fellow Brexiteer Nigel Farage

Mr Tice is a prominent Brexiteer who was in UKIP prior to setting up the Brexit Party, which later became Reform UK. He has revealed Metro Bank closed his party’s account in July 2021.

A letter sent to him at the time gives no reason.

Mr Tice told Sky News: “I was suspicious at the time but didn’t join enough of the dots. But it is crystal clear now what has gone on. I have submitted a subject access request and look forward to seeing it.”

Metro Bank said in a statement: “Metro Bank is and will remain politically neutral and it is not our policy to close an account due to the political or personal beliefs of an individual or organisation. We cannot comment on individual cases.”

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Meanwhile, Mr Farage has formally accused the NatWest Group of passing his personal and financial data to the BBC.

He has also complained to the Information Commissioner about the way in which his personal details have been handled by NatWest and its subsidiary, Coutts Bank.

A letter from his lawyers to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) mentions a BBC news report which claimed he was losing his account at Coutts because he had fallen below a required £1m threshold.

Mr Farage made a subject access request to Coutts to discover why his account was being closed.

He revealed he had received a 40-page document showing he met the “criteria for commercial retention” but Coutts – a bank also used by the Royal Family – wanted him to leave because of his views, which ranged from his position on LGBTQ+ rights to his friendship with former US president Donald Trump.

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Farage wants review of banking industry

Mr Farage tweeted on Saturday: “The BBC report gives rise to the inescapable conclusion that NatWest Group provided the media with confidential information (and personal data) regarding my financial affairs.

“This would constitute a serious data breach and, worse still, disregard client confidentiality by the bank.

“My legal team have written to the ICO asking them to investigate and take action.”

Read more:
Are banks allowed to close accounts?
Key points from Coutts’ dossier on Nigel Farage

The BBC has admitted part of its reporting was inaccurate in light of the new evidence, in a post on its webpage dedicated to corrections and clarifications.

On Thursday, NatWest Group CEO Dame Alison Rose wrote to Mr Farage to apologise.

But the letter from his legal team to the ICO adds: “Conspicuously, she did not apologise for any information that had been passed to the media citing inadequate finances as the reason for the closure of his accounts.”

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Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

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Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

A man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s title parade faces 24 new charges.

More than 130 people, including children, were injured when Paul Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy vehicle into hordes of fans at the celebrations on 26 May.

The 53-year-old, of Croxteth, Liverpool, was originally charged with two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of dangerous driving.

Six of the new alleged offences relate to babies, including one six-month-old and one seven-month-old, proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday.

The new indictment, which was not read out in court, now has 31 counts relating to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old.

Doyle now faces 18 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of wounding with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of affray.

He appeared in court via video link from prison and was in tears.

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He did not enter any pleas during the hearing, which lasted around 20 minutes.

The case was adjourned until 4 September, when Doyle is expected to enter pleas.

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.

Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.

The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.

Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.

It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.

Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.

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Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.

Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.

“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.

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Thousands fall ill with chikungunya in China

“Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk.”

Chikungunya is mainly found in Asia and Africa, but cases have been reported in Europe and North America this year.

Two vaccines to guard against the infection are available in the UK from private travel clinics.

The first cases of the Oropouche virus have also been confirmed in Britain, according to the UKHSA.

It’s spread by midge and mosquito bites and the three cases are all linked to travel to Brazil.

Oropouche was first identified in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and had been mainly confined to the Amazon area.

However, cases have been increasing since 2023 and have shown up in places such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Peru.

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Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Anyone who gets such symptoms after being in Central and South America or the Caribbean is advised to get urgent medical advice.

Most people recover on their own, but it can cause severe disease in the very elderly or those with a weak immune system.

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.

Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.

Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.

Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.

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District judge Lynette Woodrow remanded Sharwarq, who was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, in custody until his trial on 30 September.

The arrest followed weeks of protests outside the hotel.

Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said last month that the protests were a crisis that “risks boiling over”.

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