Boris Johnson has called for NatWest chief Dame Alison Rose to quit if she is found to have leaked details about Nigel Farage's bank account to the BBC.
Farage, 59, was given an apology by Dame Alison yesterday for language used about the ex-Brexit Party leader in a 40-page dossier.
However, an inaccurate story stating Farage's account was axed as it had too little money was given to the BBC.
It is not known who supplied the UK's national broadcaster with the account but Dame Alison sat with BBC business editor Simon Jack at a charity event shortly before the story was published.
Responding to Farage's Coutts cancellation, Johnson wrote for MailPlus: “I am afraid that if Dame Alison was in any way responsible then she really needs to go.
"And Farage – if that is what he wants – should have all his accounts restored forthwith.
“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.
"That freedom made our country great. It is under threat. It is time to fight.”
The former Prime Minister, who resigned as an MP ahead of the release of the privileges committee's investigation into his Commons comments about Partygate, also called on City Minister Andrew Griffith to “establish all the facts about how a false impression of Farage’s financial circumstances was given to the media”.
Griffith yesterday announced Treasury changes will increase the notice period given to customers to 90 days and will force banks to spell out clearly why they are terminating an account.
His comments came just minutes before Dame Alison issued an apology to Farage about the handling of his cancellation by NatWest subsidiary Coutts.
Dame Alison said: "I am writing to apologise for the deeply inappropriate comments about yourself made in the now published papers prepared for the Wealth Committee.
"I would like to make it clear that they do not reflect the view of the bank."
She added: "I believe very strongly that freedom of expression and access to banking are fundamental to our society and it is absolutely not our policy to exit a customer on the basis of legally held political and personal views.
"To this end, I would like to personally reiterate our offer to you of alternative banking arrangements at NatWest."
A full review is also being launched into Coutts' processes for how these decisions are made and communications.
Farage released a 40-page dossier on Wednesday detailing Coutts' decision to axe his accounts.
It revealed his accounts were shut because Farage's views did not "align with its purpose and values".
The dossier stated that "while it is accepted that no criminal convictions have resulted, commentary and behaviours that do not align to the bank's purpose and values have been demonstrated".
The GB News presenter was also labelled as racist and a xenophobe.
Coutts even cited Farage's support of former US President Donald Trump and tennis champion Novak Djokovic as reasons behind the cancellation.
Brexit, which Farage campaigned alongside Johnson to achieve in 2016, was mentioned on 86 occasions in the report.
Responding to the apology, Farage said: "I’ve started this and I’ve got to continue.
"Thank you for the apology, it’s a start but it’s no more than that."
from GB News https://ift.tt/V4ESCqB
