Ministers in Britain came to the defense of political opponent Nigel Farage after a dossier revealed the reasons for why Coutts "canceled" him.
The lengthy document shows that Coutts, a private banking and wealth management company, cited Farage’s retweet of a Ricky Gervais post and his apparent friendship with tennis player Novak Djokovic, per Daily Mail, using these citations to suggest Farage was “xenophobic and racist.”
The 331-year-old bank ultimately decided to “exit” Farage after referring to his friendship with professional tennis player Djokovic. The Wimbledon champion previously made headlines when it became known that he elected not to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Coutts also referred to 13 tweets by Farage, including a post that featured a sketch by Ricky Gervais. The post in question was originally posted by Laurence Fox, which featured a video of Gervais satirizing the transgender movement. In the clip, Gervais makes a quip about “old-fashioned women - the ones with wombs.”
Farage retweeted the post in May 2022, writing “This is brilliant.” But the dossier claimed that it was a “transphobic comedy sketch.”
The document also said: “The Committee did not think continuing to bank NF was compatible with Coutts given his publicly-stated views that were at odds with our position as an inclusive organization.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to address public figures being punished for their political views. Tory ministers have come to Farage’s defense against the bank, with Suella Braverman calling the situation “sinister.”
The report notes that Energy Secretary Grant Shapps, who has been a strong opponent of Farage, even said that Coutts’ behavior was a “disgrace.”
Last month, Farage said Coutts had decided to close his account, branding the move as “political persecution.” Other customers of the bank have also come forward.
A priest claimed that his account was closed after he complained about his building society’s messages during Pride month.
