Nigel Farage Coutts bank scandal

In June 2023, the private bank Coutts closed the account held by the British politician and broadcaster Nigel Farage, triggering controversy.

[3] In a front-page story on 20 July, The Daily Telegraph reported that the Coutts CEO, Dame Alison Rose, had dined with Simon Jack, the business editor for BBC News, on the evening before he published an article saying that the decision had been "for commercial reasons".

[3] Within the document, an update to Farage's notes from 10 March 2023 stated "The relationship has been below commercial criteria for some time and upon review of Nigel's past public profile and connections, the perceived risks for the future weighed against the benefit of retention the decision was taken to exit upon repayment of an existing mortgage.

[7] On 25 July, Rose admitted to a "serious error of judgement" in discussing Farage's Coutts accounts with Jack, while the NatWest board said that it retained full confidence in her.

[16] In the same month, an investigation by lawyers Travers Smith, appointed by NatWest, found that the bank had acted in a "lawful" manner when it closed Farage's account, but had "failed to treat him fairly".

Miqdaad Versi said some outlets have disproportionately focused on Farage's financial affairs while neglecting similar instances involving the de-banking of Muslim organisations and individuals.

[21] At the time the government commented saying it had delegated to banks the role of de-risking their clients for potential suspicious financing or money laundering.

[23][24] British journalist Emily Maitlis criticised the media coverage for "whipping up a populist storm" over the affair, claiming that the incident was a private company making a commercial decision to end a relationship, over political views.