Yorkshire Building Society closing accounts down on people with views that don't agree with their policy

[Summer2023hasarrived]

So the story goes that if you have a view on Brexit or LGBTQ?+ that isn't inline or in agreement with the people that know what view is right at The Yorkshire Building Society then they can close your account?

AIBU - stick to the day job and provide mortgages and savings

YABU - they can decide if the values of their customers don't align to shut them down

Kind of is. Firstly, it's not just capitalism, but mainly, you know how people talked about social credits in china, looking at past establishments (and present actually) wrong views - no education for children, no better housing etc.
Allowing companies to take away basically essential services for wrong views (such as the suspected GC customer), is not even slippery slope, but a colourful steep slide to similar. Pp is right about the dominoes effect with these things. And onceeveryone does the same, ankther thing will come in, and the process repeats and repeats...

The FCA already warned banks that they should not be using aml laws to shut accounts due to risk perception of PEPs, PEPs are allowed accounts after all, they are just subject to higher levels of monitoring.

And although I am not sure of the specific current Russian sanctions most recently Russian sanctions were definitely not the same as the US/CUBA and Iran sanctions - it was particular individuals and entities and speciific products even after the start if the Ukraine war.

First they came for someone else and I did not care....

Politically exposed? We could all be one day for requesting simple biology as truth.

Most polling shows that most of the population is gender critical.

How the heck will this country survive having to lie about biology in order to retain a bank account.

A tiny minority of teachers and NHS staff fought, the rest now suffer for their cowardice, the sex education and biology teachers along with NHS staff will be taken out first along with the clergy. Bank accounts apparently get closed if a random complains to them that someone is gender critical.

Am I the only one that doesn't believe this ?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4838848-first-direct-and-natwest-closing-bank-accounts-for-political-reasons-inc-being-gender-critical?page=1

I don't, not the way it's being presented.

@maddening I'm sure they are allowed bank accounts, but given how many ordinary UK citizens have had their accounts closed with no reason given, I do wonder whether there is something going on with Tice and Farage. The banks won't tell them (or us) and nor will the people operating behind the scenes, but I very much doubt this is about their opinions on Brexit. The links between Russia and the Leave campaign look pretty damn solid to me and I reckon something has been found that can't stand the light of day.

Regarding the other cases, banks are not allowed to discriminate. Let Toby Young bring a court case and we'll see what happens. I reckon it's not free speech, I reckon it's behaving like an asshole to staff - in which case he gets zero sympathy from me.

Do you think you are getting the facts here?
Or just reading something and jumping to assumptions?

I don't believe a word of it either.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4838848-first-direct-and-natwest-closing-bank-accounts-for-political-reasons-inc-being-gender-critical?page=2&reply=127279631

Three threads on the issue.

Same here. Farage seemingly wants to play the victim though.

The FCA already warned banks that they should not be using aml laws to shut accounts due to risk perception of PEPs, PEPs are allowed accounts after all, they are just subject to higher levels of monitoring.

Does that mean if a bank decides not to close an account that is subsequently found to be involved in unlawful activities they get a pass ? Or is there no "good faith" defence ? Because if the latter, are you going to take the risk ?

The same logic drives cashiers to ask people who are clearly over 50 if they can show they are over 25. Because they get the fine (and jail time) if wrong.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4838860-aibu-to-tell-you-that-first-direct-closed-bank-account-of-gender-critical-blogger?page=2&reply=127279944
Three threads on the issue

There can be any number of frothing threads on it on Mumsnet.

I'm not going to change my mind as a result. I'd want much more information and far more reputable sources.

There are an awful lot of assumptions being made here.

No-one knows why the GC bloggers account was closed. There are any number of reasons why it can happen to anyone, so leaping to the conclusion that it has to be because of their views is very premature.

A friend of mine, just a random ordinary pain, had this happen for a random technical reason. It was annoying, but all got sorted, she banked elsewhere.

That, one assumes, is if their opinion agrees with this week's norm. The right-on hypocrisy is amazing in this as in all other matters.

Agreed, it’s all fine and dandy when it’s someone you dislike but wait until it’s someone with your views whose bank account is closed down or your own bank account like the Canadian truckers, I honestly think some people are hard of thinking on here sometimes.

I’m not trying to have a go at you personally but surely in your role you do come across views and peoples ‘pasts’ for want of a better word, that are not comfortable for you, or that are not in line with what you personally think. And what then? Refuse to converse with them?

How would that work with a doctor or dentist or providing any essential service work?

One more nail in the coffin of free speech

Exactly

I would take anything the daily fail says with a pinch of salt

Mr Campbell has suggested that his accounts were closed because of his views on gender and sex, including declaring: 'Women don't have penises

So in actual fact First Directs decision probably nothing to do with the women don't have penises comment at all

It's extremely worrying that you can be pretty much cut off from accessing goods and services, especially as we move more and more to a cashless society. I'm reading more and more of these stories over the past 2-3 years

Thought he was pissing off to the USA years ago ?