Brexit leader Nigel Farage has filed an official complaint against the NatWest, accusing the bank of passing his information to the BBC, which initially claimed that he lost his account with Coutts for financial reasons before backtracking to acknowledge that the decision was made in part due to political reasons.
The former Brexit Party leader turned GB News presenter has filed a formal complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which has the power to fine financial institutions up to £17.5 million after unnamed sources from Coutts bank — a subsidiary of NatWest — told the BBC that his bank account was shut because it fell below the £1 million threshold, while internal documents revealed that the bank decided to drop him as a customer because his political views “did not align with our values”.
In a letter sent to the ICO, seen by the Mail on Sunday, Mr Farage’s attorneys wrote: “The content of the BBC report gives rise to the inescapable conclusion that the bank was providing confidential information comprising Mr Farage’s personal data about his financial affairs to the Press, which, on the face of it would constitute a serious data breach by the bank.
“This material showed that the information that was apparently given to the BBC by Coutts or someone within the Natwest Group was at best incomplete and at worst deliberately misleading.”
The letter continues: “The information given to the BBC was also not fully accurate in relation to the offer of alternative banking facilities at Natwest; Mr Farage was only offered an alternative current account, and was not offered an alternative business account. Mr Farage’s sense of profound injustice, and concern for wide societal implications of the bank’s conduct, led him to feel he had to correct the position by making public the full DSAR response, even though it included information that was highly prejudicial about him.
“Given the gravity of this situation however, Mr Farage asks the ICO to intervene to take action to require Coutts and Natwest Group to explain promptly exactly how it has handled his personal data.”
Should the complaint be upheld, the ICO has the ability to fine Coutts up to £17.5 million or four per cent of its worldwide annual revenue in the previous fiscal year.
The CEO of NatWest, Dame Alison Rose, who reportedly sat next to the author of the BBC article in question, Simon Jack, at a charity event the evening before it was published, has already issued an apology to Mr Farage. However, the Brexit leader’s legal team noted that the apology “conspicuously” failed to mention that his information was given to the media.
Mr Farage said on Saturday: “The BBC report gives rise to the inescapable conclusion that NatWest Group provided the media with confidential information (and personal data) regarding my financial affairs.
“This would constitute a serious data breach and, worse still, disregard client confidentiality by the bank. My legal team have written to the ICO asking them to investigate and take action.”
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has argued that if Dame Alison “was in any way responsible” for leaking Mr Farage’s financial circumstances to the press, “then she really needs to go”.
“This is about far more than the bank account of one person. It is about freedom under the law, for everyone in this country. It is about the freedom to think and say what you believe provided you don’t break the law without the fear of open or covert persecution,” Johnson wrote in the Daily Mail.
“That freedom made our country great. It is under threat. It is time to fight. It’s a fight about freedom to say what you want I read the bank’s dossier with cold, hard fury. He’s been my political opponent but I vehemently support him.”
The BBC, for its part, quietly updated its original article to reflect details revealed by a subject access request from Mr Farage, which revealed that the bank had determined, at least in part, to shut his account over his connections to former President Donald Trump, tennis star Novak Djokovic, and for expressing views that do not “align” with the bank’s values.
In a statement, the BBC said: “We acknowledge that the information we reported – that Coutts’ decision on Mr Farage’s account did not involve considerations about his political views – turned out not to be accurate.”
The author of the article, Simon Jack, wrote on social media: “The headline on the Farage story has been clarified and an update posted. It should have been clearer at the top that the reason for Mr Farage’s account being closed was commercial – was what a source told the BBC. That has been corrected.”
In addition to filing a complaint with the ICO, Mr Farage has also written to BBC director-general Tim Davie, demanding that the public broadcaster issue an official apology for its reporting.
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