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Farage exposes Coutts memo calling him a ‘racist’, ‘xenophobe’ and ‘disingenuous grifter’
Published 07:36 19 Jul 2023 BST
Updated 07:36 19 Jul 2023 BST
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The private bank’s reputational risk committee's report has been leaked
Nigel Farage has exposed a memo from Coutts reputational risk committee that he says is the real reason he was shunned by the bank.
The former UKIPer took to Twitter at the end of June claiming the bank he had been with since 1980 had shown him the door.
He suggested the decision was made due to his involvement in the 2016 European Union referendum, but a BBC investigation found it was more likely closed because he fell below the financial threshold required to hold an account at the prestigious institution.
But a new memo leaked by Farage in The Telegraph suggests his political beliefs could have been a motivator for the decision after all.
The bombshell document states from a commercial point of view, Farage met its criteria to hold an account, but the former Brexit Party leader's views on race and equality could negatively impact its reputation.
The dossier references Farage's alleged connections to Russia and "pro-Putin" views, as well as his close friendships with Donald Trump and tennis star Noval Djokovic.
It notes that Farage's visit to Djokovic on a trip to Belgrade, where he criticised Australia’s decision to deport the player for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid, as displaying “the spineless, chaotic behaviour of a chancer”.
In another section, the document included several media reports that claimed Farage incited race hate when he compared the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement to the Taliban and Islamic extremists in relation to the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol.
The bank said its views on race, equality, and LGBTQ rights differed substantially from those of Farage.
"The values NF actively and publicly promotes/champions do not align with the bank’s," it wrote.
"At best he is seen as xenophobic and pandering to racists, and at worst he is seen as xenophobic and racist."
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