Nigel Farage has called on the entire NatWest board to quit after chief executive Dame Alison Rose stepped down.
The former UKIP leader said Dame Alison was “unfit” to stay in post after leaking an inaccurate story about the closure of his bank account to the BBC.
See our live coverage on the ongoing row here.
Nigel Farage has said he will continue to campaign for broader change in the banking industry— (PA Wire)
But Mr Farage said the boss of his former bank Coutts, which is owned by NatWest, should take “ultimate responsibility” for his account being closed in the first place.
And he said NatWest chair Sir Howard Davies is responsible for the overall governance of the bank, and has “failed in this task”.
Sharing a copy of the code of conduct, Mr Farage wrote: “In my view - they should all go.”
Speaking to GB News, he added that a Tuesday night statement from the bank expressing “full confidence” in Dame Alison was “was rather reminiscent of the Premier League football club that’s in crisis”.
“I didn’t think she could last beyond the end of the week,” Mr Farage said. “I think any board member that endorsed that statement last night, where they said ‘yes, she breached confidentiality, but she can stay in her post’... frankly, I think the whole board needs to go.”
Her resignation from the bank, which is 39 per cent owned by the government, was welcomed by Rishi Sunak and City minister Andrew Griffith.
A No 10 source said the Prime Minister "was concerned about the unfolding situation. Alison Rose has done the right thing in resigning".
The source said: "Everyone would expect people in public life - whether that's in a business leadership role or otherwise - to act responsibly and with integrity."
And Mr Griffith said “it is right” Dame Alison had quit and the crisis “would never have happened” if NatWest had not decided to “withdraw a bank account due to someone’s lawful political views”.
“That was and is always unacceptable,” Mr Griffith said.
He added: “I hope the whole financial sector learns from this incident. Its role is to serve customers well and fairly - not to tell them how or what to think.”
Former NatWest chief executive officer Dame Alison Rose has stepped down— (PA Wire)
Dame Alison’s resignation came just hours after the NatWest board expressed “full confidence” in her leadership. Sir Howard had threatened her £5.25m pay packet could be docked over her conduct, but that she would stay in the job.
She was eventually forced out after pressure from Downing Street to quit, with sources close to chancellor Jeremy Hunt expressing “deep concerns” about her leadership.
In a statement issued at 1.28am, the NatWest board said it had agreed “by mutual consent” with Dame Alison that she would quit.
She has been replaced on an interim basis by Paul Thwaite, who currently runs the bank’s commercial and institutional business.
Dame Alison, who had worked at the bank for 30 years before taking the top job in 2019, said: “I remain immensely proud of the progress the bank has made in supporting people, families and business across the UK, and building the foundations for sustainable growth.”
Sir Howard said: “It is a sad moment. She has dedicated all her working life so far to NatWest and will leave many colleagues who respect and admire her.”
