AIBU to tell you that First Direct closed bank account of gender critical blogger

[Snorkers]

https://twitter.com/WingsScotland/status/1673371351942307840

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1673371351942307840.html

Who's next? What other beliefs are no longer allowed to partake in society?

Our Duty on twitter

https://twitter.com/OurDutyGrp/status/1676183710620590083?t=7Bp2bI5UAaFWsyOKbURAbA&s=19

This morning we received a phone call from our bankers declining to open a Business account for Our Duty International Limited (ODIL). ODIL is the organisation which publishes our website and provides services and infrastructure to separate Our Duty branches in UK and Overseas. Our Duty also has a Community Account in UK, and I was informed that this, too, was under review. During the course of the telephone conversation, the bank employee told me:
"The content of your website conflicts with the culture and ideas we are pushing" and
"the bank has staff networks for diversity and inclusion including for LGBTQ staff" and
"at the weekend I went on a march for Pride".
The bank was making it patently clear that they consider only one worldview to be valid. If it were truly a champion of diversity and inclusion, it would accept our diverse views and be keen to include us.
We are now seeking a UK bank to support our critically important work providing help and advice to parents with a child who thinks of themselves as transgender.
Is there one?
It seems that Our Duty is the latest casualty in the LGBTQ+ staff networks' war on differing views.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12262157/Equalities-chief-fathers-rights-charity-UKIP-councillor-claim-bank-accounts-shut.html

You know what "going to the wall" means, right??

I was on this thread at the beginning but can see it's moved on. Just saw that the Coutts have now given the reason for closing Farage's bank account and of course it's nothing to do with his ideology despite his claims to stir up trouble. Bet he wishes he'd kept quiet now

But there are still questions, aren't there? Coutts say you can't have less than £1m in your accounts.
Farage says he hasn't had £1m for 10 years.
So the question, which Coutts hasn't answered, is...why now?

According to the FT report, it’s because he recently redeemed his mortgage, which took him below the £1m threshold. Farage seems to acknowledge that he did this.

I think some people want to believe his claims that it was ideology, for some reason, and will never be satisfied that it wasn't.

Agreed.

You seem to be of the opinion that banks can do no wrong. That signing T&Cs of which we have no alternative but to sign because we have to have a bank account, means banks are free to operate as they will.
Whilst banks have such uneven power in our society, being able to have the legal "right to close any account with appropriate notice" should not be allowed. Whether Farage is ultimately proven to be in the right or in the wrong, I'm glad he has aired what can happen. Because now we know that banks can close our accounts for whatever reason (as you quote from Barclays) and maybe now something will be done about it.

You are glad that Farage lied about why his bank account was closed to stir up support from some nitwits who hung on his every word because it matched their world view? OK then.

If you think that Farage is the first person it's happened to, then you're very misinformed.
And if him lying makes the powers that be do something about it, then, yes, I'm glad he lied.

What a strange outlook. It's like you think he lied for some noble cause instead of a self serving desire to garner support.

It does make you wonder how many other people claiming their bank accounts were closed just because of a difference in ideology might also be lying.

Ultimately I don't care what his purpose was. If it highlights the issue, I'm glad.

We know from you that banks can and do shut down any account they wish, as long as they give due notice. They don't even need to give a reason.

It denied discrimination and asserted that it had a legal right to close any account with appropriate notice. They didn't apologise to Core Issues Trust (chief executive describes himself as ex-gay, huge widespread suspicion of conversion therapy) or reinstate their account.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12264723/Metro-Bank-blocks-gender-critical-parents-opening-account-signing-Stonewall-scheme.html

When will Farage just fuck the fuck off? I can’t believe so many people have been taken in by this snake oil salesman. I find it embarrassing he’s given so much publicity.

Yes that is exactly the spin I'd expect from the Daily Mail.

I'll reserve judgement as the the article is full of terms like 'the group claim they were told ..' and 'if true then...'

The second half of the article is about Farage's account being closed for the same reason when we now know that isn't true.

Metro Bank have said that they only close bank accounts for commercial reasons and that it remains politically neutral.

At present, it looks like the right wing press are picking up divisive stories to get people frothing and we can't tell yet whether this group, like Farage, are inventing persecution to further their cause.

Agree with that as well.

Frothing and obsessively posting these links really looks a bit unhinged to me.

What, Farage lied and exaggerated? So does the Daily Mail? Well I'm shocked. Who knew?

Absolutely - I think that Farage might have been hoping just to play the victim and if one didn't read up on the reasons why his account was closed, it would be easy to be reactionary but it was within banking rules.

Professor Lesley Sawers, 64, the Equalities and Human Rights commissioner for Scotland, has been with the Royal Bank of Scotland, a subsidiary of the NatWest Group, for 32 years.
However, two weeks ago, she and husband, Allan McKechnie, were told that their joint account, containing thousands of pounds, would be shut next month. In a letter, RBS said that it would be ceasing its “banking relationship” with the couple and they would have to make other banking arrangements “outside of the Natwest group”.

From the Times today.

Restricted parties are individuals subject to financial sanctions. If you are one of those then depending on the nature of sanctions a bank may not be able to deal with you at all.
being a PEP isn’t a reason to close an account. Enhanced AML controls apply to PEPs but of course they can have bank accounts. Where would Mr Sunak put all his money otherwise?!

I am confused as to how this information has been made public. If it was an official statement by coutts - I don’t think it was - have they just ripped up the rule book on client confidentiality?? Not the smartest move for a bank with their client base!
nothing about this is making sense to me.

No, Coutts haven't made a statement. People are inferring it's due tot he wealth level as this is explained on their website. Farage hasn't denied this.

He was offered a Natwest account as a replacement, he wasn't left with no bank account.

If we were still covered by EU regulations, banks can't remove a customer without offering them the basic pay in / pay out bank account. Sadly, Mr Farage was very influential in removing us from the EU. So, you know, karma sucks.

Ferage is a red herring.

There are non PEP members of the public getting their bank accounts closed because of Stonewall staff networking groups intolerance of others world views, by the looks of things.

so none of the financial regulations we derived from EU law have been changed yet. They are all still in force.
even if they were changed, the EA 2010 would surely bar a bank denying services to someone on grounds of their beliefs.
im not saying that’s what’s happened, just that I can’t make head nor tail of what has happened.