Nigel Farage has formally accused NatWest Group of passing on his personal and financial data to the BBC.
The former Brexit Party leader has also complained to the Information Commissioner about how his personal details were handled by NatWest and its subsidiary Coutts Bank.
A letter from his lawyers to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) cites a BBC news report claiming he was losing his account at Coutts because he had fallen below the required £1 million threshold.
Mr. Farage Data subject access requested. [DSAR] Coutts, to find out why his account is being suspended.
He revealed that he had received one. 40 page document It shows he meets the “commercial retention criteria” but Coutts – a bank also used by the royal family. He wanted to leave because of his thoughts.That ranged from his stance on LGBTQ+ rights to his friendship with the former US president. Donald Trump.
Mr Farage tweeted on Saturday: “The BBC report leads to the inescapable conclusion that NatWest Group provided confidential information (and personal data) about my finances to the media.
“This would lead to a serious data breach and, worse, a disregard for client privacy by the bank.
“My legal team have written to the ICO to investigate and take action.”
On Friday, the BBC updated its online report on the matter, saying Mr Farage had “fallen below the financial threshold required to hold an account with Coutts”.
The state broadcaster said: “We acknowledge that the information we reported – that Coutts’ decision on Nigel Farage’s account did not include consideration of his political views – did not turn out to be true.”
It added: “We have amended the headline and copy of this article to clarify that the details of the closure of Nigel Farage’s bank account came from one source.”
A letter from Mr Farage’s lawyers to the ICO said: “The content of the BBC report leads to the inescapable conclusion that the bank was providing the press with confidential information about Mr Farage’s finances containing his personal data, which would, on its face, constitute a serious data breach by the bank.”
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The letter added that following Mr Farage’s data request, “the information apparently given to the BBC by Coutts or someone from the NatWest Group was at best incomplete and at worst deliberately misleading.”
It continued: “The information given to the BBC was also not entirely accurate in relation to the offer of alternative banking facilities at NatWest; Mr Farage was only offered an alternative current account, and not an alternative business account.”
The letter said Mr Farage “senses a deep sense of injustice and is concerned about the wider social implications of the bank’s conduct.”
On Thursday, NatWest Group CEO Dame Alison Rose Wrote to apologize to Mr Farage.
Apology letter to Nigel Farage
But a letter from his legal team to the ICO added: “Apparently, he has not apologized for any information he gave to the media citing insufficient finances as the reason for closing his accounts.”
Source by [Sky News]
