Nigel Farage claims to have documents which prove Coutts Bank closed account due to political views

The ex-Brexit Party and UKIP leader said he had gained access to a report by the bank’s wealth reputational risk committee via a subject access request. The BBC previously reported that his account was being closed because he fell below the financial threshold.

Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Farage said that the "36-page" document shows that he was targeted "on personal and political grounds". According to what the Telegraph says are minutes of a meeting of Coutts’ wealth reputational risk committee held on November 17 2022, they read: "The committee did not think continuing to bank NF [Nigel Farage] was compatible with Coutts given his publicly-stated views that were at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation.

"This was not a political decision but one centred around inclusivity and purpose."

He also said there was a perception that he was regarded as "racist and xenophobic", which he called an "appalling slur".

In a video posted to his Twitter account, Mr Farage said he put in a subject access request because he wanted to establish the reason "behind them closing the account". He said it read like "a brief that you could give to a barrister ahead of a serious criminal trial", and made several references to Brexit and Russia.

The GB News presenter added that the document said that closing his accounts for financial reasons was not justified because his "economic contribution is now sufficient to retain on a commercial basis".

Coutts Bank said: "Our ability to respond is restricted by our obligations of client confidentiality. Decisions to close accounts are not taken lightly and take into account a number of factors including commercial viability, reputational considerations, and legal and regulatory requirements."