 The CEO of NatWest has said she made a 'serious error of judgment' after admitted she was the source of a BBC story about Nigel Farage's account with the company's private bank Coutts. Three weeks ago, the broadcaster reported that the prestigious lender, used by the ultra-rich and members of the Royal Family, had shut the former Ukip leader's account because it did not meet their financial threshold. However, documents from Coutts have since emerged indicating the account was shut because the bank found Mr Farage's public statements did 'not align' with its values. Several politicians have called for the law to be changed to prevent banks from shutting people out based on their personal views. The BBC has since apologised to Mr Farage, as they acknowledged 'that the information we reported […] turned out not to be accurate'. Dame Alison Rose, the boss of the NatWest Group which owns Coutts, released a statement this afternoon saying she was the source for their story, which was written by the corporation's Business Editor Simon Jack. She wrote: 'I recognise that in my conversations with Simon Jack of the BBC, I made a serious error of judgment in discussing Mr Farage's relationship with the bank. 'Given the consequences of this, I want to address the questions that have been raised and set out the substance of the conversations that took place.' The private lender Coutts is used by a number of high-profile people including members of the Royal Family (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock) She continued: 'Believing it was public knowledge, I confirmed that Mr Farage was a Coutts customer and that he had been offered a NatWest bank account. 'Alongside this, I repeated what Mr Farage had already stated, that the bank saw this as a commercial decision.' The banker, who has led the group since 2019, added: ' Dame Alison added: 'I was n){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The CEO of NatWest has said she made a ‘serious error of judgment’ after admitted she was the source of a BBC story about Nigel Farage’s account with the company’s private bank Coutts.
Three weeks ago, the broadcaster reported that the prestigious lender, used by the ultra-rich and members of the Royal Family, had shut the former Ukip leader’s account because it did not meet their financial threshold.
However, documents from Coutts have since emerged indicating the account was shut because the bank found Mr Farage’s public statements did ‘not align’ with its values.
Several politicians have called for the law to be changed to prevent banks from shutting people out based on their personal views.