1 year ago
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Image source, Reuters
It would not beryllium "helpful" for NatWest's president to discontinue implicit the enactment that has followed the closure of Nigel Farage's account, the metropolis curate has said.
Andrew Griffith made the comments aft Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined to backmost Sir Howard Davies connected Thursday.
Sir Howard has faced calls to resign aft helium initially backed NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose implicit the row, hours earlier she resigned connected Wednesday.
He has vowed to stay successful post to guarantee the stableness of the bank.
Dame Alison left NatWest earlier this week aft admitting making a mistake successful speaking astir Mr Farage's narration with Coutts, a subsidiary of NatWest that serves the wealthy. And connected Thursday the brag of Coutts besides quit implicit the row.
Asked if Sir Howard, who is owed to measurement down arsenic president successful mid-2024, should besides resign now, Mr Griffiths told BBC Radio 4's Any Questions programme: "Alison was the main enforcement liable for the day-to-day behaviour of that organisation.
"Sir Howard is the president of the board. He's already going, they're looking for a caller chairman. I don't deliberation that Sir Howard Davies going present would beryllium helpful.
"The important happening is there's an autarkic investigation. I privation to find retired what was going on."
'Political reaction'
Earlier this month, erstwhile UKIP person Mr Farage said that his relationship astatine Coutts had been closed and that helium had not been fixed a reason.
The BBC reported that it was closed due to the fact that helium nary longer met the wealthiness threshold for Coutts, citing a root acquainted with the matter.
However, Mr Farage aboriginal obtained a study from the slope that indicated his governmental views were besides considered.
Hours earlier Dame Alison resigned implicit the closure of Mr Farage's Coutts account, Sir Howard said the committee retained "full confidence" successful her.
Mr Farage has called connected Sir Howard to besides measurement down.
When asked if helium would enactment the seat staying on, Mr Sunak said: "This isn't astir immoderate 1 individual, it's astir values - bash you judge successful escaped code and not to beryllium discriminated against due to the fact that of your legally held views?"
Sir Howard said the slope had appointed City instrumentality steadfast Travers Smith to behaviour an autarkic probe into the closure of Mr Farage's relationship and however the accusation surrounding the contented had been handled.
The autarkic probe will:
- Review the determination to unopen Mr Farage's accounts, including however it was identified for closure
- Examine the circumstances surrounding the BBC communicative and if immoderate leak of confidential lawsuit accusation oregon breach of the General Data Protection Regulation occurred.
- Review of Coutts' relationship closures implicit the past 2 years
Travers Smith is expected to study backmost wrong 4 to six weeks.
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