Falling Upwards: Farage Debanking Scandal Natwest Boss Waltzes Into DEI Role

The bank boss who was forced to resign over her central role in the Nigel Farage debanking and media briefing scandal has been taken on by the same legal firm that earlier represented her, running their “equality, diversity and inclusion” programme.

Dame Alison Rose, the senior banker who was one of Britain’s most senior female chief executives until she secretly briefed a journalist against one of her own customers — Brexit leader Nigel Farage — continues to pick up new roles after the scandal, joining a top law firm months after landing at a private equity firm.

Elite British law firm Mischon de Rey, who represented Rose at the time of her departure from Natwest over the Farage debanking scandal, said through their “chief people officer” Vanessa Dewhurst that they are “delighted” the scandal-hit business leader had joined them. She said: “Advisers of Alison’s calibre and leadership are rare and we couldn’t be happier that we will enjoy the benefit of her expertise, particularly given our commitment to delivering on our ambitious EDI targets”.

Rose will be an adviser to what the firm calls its “equity diversity and inclusion committee” working on the company’s diversity push, The Daily Telegraph states, saying this will include increasing “its number of women in senior roles… the percentage of black and socially disadvantaged people”.

While long a major British business establishment figure, having had a long career at latterly state-owned bank Natwest and also chairing a government commission on “barriers faced by women starting and growing businesses” — which was later renamed after her fall from grace — Rose really hit the headlines in 2023 after the bank she chaired wrote to Brexit boss Nigel Farage informing him it was closing his accounts. As a news story this was massively intensified by the subsequent revelation that Rose had personally intervened in the matter, revealing both sensitive personal financial information about Farage, as well as “misleading information” to a journalist.

This broke UK law, and Rose resigned. She stood to land an estimated £10 million in pay and bonuses over her departure, and was represented by Mischon de Rey in the following pay dispute. In the end, Rose forfeited £7.5 million.