British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the case of prominent Eurosceptic Nigel Farage raises questions about freedom of speech.

He always said that the British establishment had a bad idea for him. Now Nigel Farage also has a “receipt” to back up those claims, POLITICO wrote on Wednesday, citing Rador.

Britain’s most prominent Eurosceptic has received a 12,000-word document from Coutts bank which he says reveals the truth about his account being forcibly closed there.

The former Brexit Party leader is embroiled in a scandal with the bank – a bank so revered it has served successive generations of the royal family – after Coutts closed his account this month. Farage initially said he had not been told any reason, but later the media, including the BBC, said the reason was that Farage’s funds no longer met the mandatory minimum threshold.

Now an internal document from Coutts, obtained by Farage from the bank under the Freedom of Information Act and published in full by the Daily Mail, shows that the institution wanted to ditch him as a long-standing customer, but also that he used his controversial public profile as an excuse.

A briefing to the bank’s “reputational risk committee” said Farage was seen by many as a “fraudster in disguise” with “racist, chauvinist and xenophobic views” and suggested he should be dropped from clients once he paid all his dues and was downgraded below the minimum wealth threshold.

The document cited his comments on Brexit, his friendship with former US President Donald Trump and controversial tennis star Novak Djokovic. Highlights his views on Covid-19 vaccines and alleged ties to Russia.

“The committee did not consider the continuation of relations with the NF [Nigel Farage] compatible with Coutts, given his publicly expressed views that are contrary to our position as an inclusive organization,” the report said. “It was not a political decision, but a decision focused on engagement and purpose.”

In a section titled ‘Key Risks’, the committee says that ‘there are many accounts hostile to the NF’ and that Farage is ‘a notorious and deliberate seeker of controversy’.

Citing his support for Trump and his defense in the context of sexual harassment allegations, the document said Farage’s statements “are repugnant and appear to be increasingly out of step with the general public”.

Farage said he was not told in advance by Coutts that he would be treated as a “politically known person” – the banking term for clients deemed risky because they are politically known.

Farage’s file shows he had already been “downgraded” to low-risk client status and was on the verge of dropping out of that category altogether “as he is no longer associated with any party”.

In a statement to the Telegraph, Coutts said its ability to detail the case was limited by “customer confidentiality obligations” and that decisions to close accounts “take into account a number of factors, including commercial viability, reputational considerations, legal and regulatory requirements.” rigor”.

Counterattack

The case has already caused a negative reaction in Britain, ministers demanded explanations and warned of serious consequences for freedom of speech.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is far from Farage’s ideological ally, wrote on Wednesday afternoon on Twitter: “It is not normal. No one should be denied access to basic services because of their political views. Freedom of speech is the basis of our democracy.”

Financial Services Minister Andrew Griffith said in a statement on Wednesday that “it would be a serious matter to deny financial services to anyone exercising their statutory right to free expression”.

“Companies have a right to protect themselves against real risks to their reputation – for example, from criminal activity – but in a democratic society the privilege of a banking license should implicitly mean an obligation not to ‘walk out of the bank’ simply because you disagree with someone’s views,” he said.

The scandal gives Farage, who now hosts right-wing GB News, a new opportunity to denounce political correctness and perceived censorship. [sic!] right thoughts

Attacks on “awakened capitalism” don’t just come from Farage, they’re common among right-wing populist politicians in the U.S., where Republicans are fighting Wall Street’s efforts to combat climate change and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is embroiled in a public spat. with Disney

“The Coutts scandal exposes the sinister nature of much of the diversity, equity and inclusion industry,” UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is seen as a member of the right-wing Conservative faction in government, tweeted.

The controversy also raises more general questions, such as whether this is an isolated incident or a trend for banks to turn away inconvenient customers.

Global rules for dealing with dirty money force banks to check their risky customers more carefully, given their quality as “watchmen” of the financial system.

Such checks are expensive and make some categories of customers – diamond traders, refugees, diplomats – less desirable for banks.

But such checks are provided for a reason. The Qatargate bribery scandal in Brussels, in which the police seized literally bags of money, proves that some politicians deserve closer attention.

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