“Prejudiced and nasty” Nigel Farage…

[MangetoutsaysGetOutMan]

… doesn’t understand irony.

Coutts say “we don’t want your sort here” and Nigel gets upset.

I think it does set a dangerous precedent. It's not just him, I've seen in the news other people have been removed by their banks, I think Alexandra Tolstoy was one of them.

Look, I don't like NF, but I think it's totally unreasonable to close a bank account because his views don't agree with some person in a bank who is making a value judgement. It sets a dangerous precedent , and quite frankly resembles a modern day witch hunt.

I think it does set a dangerous precedent

This. Couldn't give a stuff about NF and his bank accounts, but where is the line drawn? What views are acceptable and not acceptable? Why is a bank determining this? I suspect gender critical women are next to be denied bank accounts or whatever else for perfectly rational views.

I thought he didn't reach the financial bar for Courts. They offered him an account at RBS or something didn't they?

He didn’t have the financial amount necessary to maintain a Coutts account and was offered an alternative.

I’ve had similar with business accounts when my balance drops below the threshold for whatever account type/offer I had.

But that doesn’t sound as newsworthy does it.

he’s had the account for years throughout his worst public comments with no issues so doubt it’s cancel culture etc.

That's not exactly what's come out in the news today though @TheCatterall the bbc were reporting earlier that Farage had obtained a number of documents which the bbc had seen which I think had confirmed his views, connections and reputation was seen as incompatible with the bank

It's terrible. I can't stand Farage but it's an appalling precedent to deny someone a service because of their perfectly legal (albeit shitty) views.

It's a risk assessment.
If he gets sanctioned for something (such as financial connections with Russians, as a purely hypothetical example) that will cost them. They've decided he isn't worth the risk, rather than any moral judgement.

I dont believe him. The man only knows how to lie.

That was what the BBC reported at the time. The released document however, which was obtained by a SAR, states that

“closing his accounts could not be justified on the basis of his wealth as his 'economic contribution' was 'sufficient to retain on a commercial basis'.
But the minutes state: 'The Committee did not think continuing to bank NF was compatible with Coutts given his publicly-stated views that were at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation.'”

Coutts, of course, claiming they can’t possibly comment due to
“Our ability to respond is restricted by our obligations of client confidentiality”. Natch.

If it was all bullshit they would, 100%, have found a way to say so.

Nigel Farage is a prick (although I note even Coutts couldn’t fault his perfectly nice demeanour and politeness when dealing with their employees). But if anyone thinks it’s perfectly acceptable for this to happen to him, then don’t be surprised when it happens to you because of your beliefs that suddenly don’t align. Could be that you’re a raging racist, but it could also be your pro choice, or a Labour voter, or GC. Who knows? Because once you allow it for a reason not related to commercial/fraud/criminal reason, then you’ve allowed it to happen for any reason they suddenly decide.

It seems unlikely they've removed him now, given he's had the same views for years and been much more visible previously.

Far more likely their risk assessment has shown something they're financially worried about.

@MandyMotherOfBrian great summary and completely agree

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.liverpool.ac.uk/2023/07/13/does-being-a-politically-exposed-person-like-nigel-farage-stop-you-getting-a-bank-account/amp/

We live in a democracy. That means public figures can say disgusting rubbish. And other public figures can disagree and put them in their place. The conversation is the heart of our political rights. It is absolutely not the place for banks, basically our debt lords, to influence democratic speech and public life in this way. As abhorrent as I find that man, this is not right, nor a win for everyday people.

What happens when you are "that sort"?

Last year Canada used that ideology on protestors and any person suspected of making a donation to fund "The Cause".

The staff work for a bank.
if the staff want to preach from a pulpit hand back the banking licence and the massive salaries and organise a church meeting

Of course it's a problem when banks operate morality checks on their customers which, despite being legal, don't meet their threshold for pleasant.

What kind of a world do you want to live in?

Read about the law and politically exposed people.

Banks get huge sanctions if they don't exercise due diligence on their customers. The law is there to protect society (us) from corruption, bribery and money laundering.

Certain jobs bring certain levels of scrutiny, NF has one of those jobs. What has happened to him is entirely irrelevant to a member of the general population.

I bet Abu Hamsa has a bank account.

It is a very dangerous precedent.

He didn't have enough in the bank to maintain a Coutts account, so that along with the fact they didn't like the cut of his jib meant he couldn't have one with them.

They offered him one with Natwest. He is not a victim, he's a whiny wee fucker with not enough money.🤷‍♀️

This is interesting because PPs are suggesting we all
have a right to use a bank - they offer a service which we are very used to but are they actually something we should be ‘entitled’ to? I would argue not having a bank account makes life so difficult it is tantamount to discrimination but actually i’m not sure that holds up. If it were a right we should have a state bank that provides the service for anyone and everyone really. Strange we don’t!

Are banks obliged to provide their services to anyone who asked for them though? I’ve never really thought about this before. Opening a bank account is a sort of transaction/business really so is it not entirely on the banks terms?

We’re heading towards a cashless society. The banks and government would be very happy for us to have state controlled accounts that can be frozen at will. It’s a dystopian sci-fi classic trope for a reason.

I agree, a year ago, I thought so what if cash is a thing of the past but now I'm paying attention to posts advising take out 50 euro a week and spend it. I see the consequences now. What if cash disappears and banks double their % cut/their charges

There should be the ability to have a basic bank account, the previous law was that the Post Office had to provide one, which should be reinstated.

Possibly the only time I will agree on something with Nigel Farage.