Metrobank has insisted it is politically neutral after it was accused of closing the account of the Reform UK party over its support for Brexit.
Party leader Richard Tice believes Reform is caught up in the same debank scandal as his friend and former UKIP leader. Nigel Farage And have written a letter to the Metro asking for a response.
The Treasury has announced that banks will Forced to give three months notice to customers to close accounts And to provide a full explanation of reasons in response to the controversy surrounding the severing of ties with Mr Farage by wealthy private bank Coutts.
Mr Tice is a prominent Brexiteer who was in UKIP before founding the Brexit Party, which later became Reform UK. He has revealed that Metro Bank had closed his party account in July 2021.
There is no reason in the letter sent to him at this time.
Mr Tice told Sky News: “I was suspicious at the time but didn’t quite join the dots. But now it’s clear what happened. I’ve submitted a subject access request and am looking forward to seeing it.”
Metrobank said in a statement: “Metrobank is and will remain politically neutral and it is not our policy to close an account because of the political or personal beliefs of an individual or organization. We cannot comment on individual cases.”
Meanwhile, Mr Farage has formally blamed NatWest Group. Giving your personal and financial data to the BBC..
They have also complained to the Information Commissioner about how their personal details have been 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 requested access to the subject from Coates to discover why his account was being closed.
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.From his stance on LGBTQ+ rights to his friendship with a former US president. Donald Trump.
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Farage wants to review the banking industry.
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.”
Read more:
Are banks allowed to close accounts?
Highlights from Coutts’ dossier on Nigel Farage
The BBC has admitted that some of its reporting was wrong in light of new evidence, in a post on its webpage dedicated to corrections and clarifications.
On Thursday, NatWest Group CEO Dame Alison Rose Wrote to apologize to Mr 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]
