Gina Miller claims to be latest high profile figure to be targeted by debanking
Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller is urging the Government to investigate bank account closures after she claims to be a victim of debanking
PA
Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller is urging the Government to investigate bank account closures after she claims to be a victim of debanking.
The businesswoman opened a Monzo account for her True and Fair party in November 2021 but received an email this month saying it would be closed in September.
She claims the bank would not inform her why the action had been taken.
It comes after Nigel Farage’s account with Coutts was closed earlier this month after the bank said they no longer wanted him as a customer.
Nigel Farage’s account with Coutts was closed earlier this month after the bank said they no longer wanted him as a customer
GB NewsA 40-page dossier revealed Coutts chiefs made a concerted effort to “exit” him as a customer as they didn’t believe the former Ukip leader aligned with their views.
Initially, Miller received an email Monzo saying: “We can’t share the specific reason for closing your account. As a bank we regularly review and sometimes close accounts as part of our legal and regulatory responsibilities."
However, the bank has since told the BBC it does not allow political party accounts and made an error in allowing it to be opened.
It added the experience would have been “frustrating for the customer and we’re sorry for that”.
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“The Government has to step in. We do not have a functioning democracy if you cannot access a bank account," Miller told the BBC.
The 58-year-old said she was seeking further information about the account closure with no suggestion her political views were involved in the case.
In January 2022, Miller launched the True & Fair Party and vowed to provide “long overdue changes to British politics” including proposals to reform the voting system and enforcing rules on how MPs conduct themselves.
A spokeswoman for Monzo said: “Like lots of banks, we do not accept any political parties as Monzo Business customers in the same way that we don’t currently accept trusts, clubs and a range of other organisations.
Gina Miller launched the True & Fair Party and vowed to provide 'long overdue changes to British politics' including proposals to reform the voting system and enforcing rules on how MPs conduct themselves
PA
“In this case, the account wasn’t originally categorised as a political party.
“After this was identified and corrected, the customer was given notice that the account would be closed. We recognise that this experience will have been frustrating for the customer and we’re sorry for that.”
The latest banking scandal comes after the chief executive of the private bank Coutts quit.
Peter Flavel, who became Coutts' boss in 2016, stepped down with immediate effect after the ex-Brexit Party leader called for more to follow NatWest's Dame Alison Rose out the door.
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