London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose Resigns Amid Political Interference and Data Privacy Concerns

NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose Resigns Amid Political Interference and Data Privacy Concerns

The resignation of NatWest's CEO, Dame Alison Rose, has raised concerns about political interference in the banking sector.
The government cut ties with Rose due to her role in the backlash against de-banking.

Rose's fate was sealed when the PM and chancellor expressed significant concerns about her conduct.

Rose's conversation with the BBC's business editor, Simon Jack, at a charity dinner ultimately led to her ousting.

Jack reported that Nigel Farage had been dumped by Coutts for political reasons, but the bank's 40-page report painted a different picture.

The report raised concerns about Farage's political views and suggested that he was a "disingenuous grifter." Farage had claimed that he was dumped by Coutts due to his caustic political views, but the bank's report called that claim into question.

The report also raised the possibility that Rose had discussed confidential customer information with a journalist.

This raised concerns about data privacy and whether Rose had disclosed financial information to Jack.

Rose's defense was that she did not know about the Coutts dossier when she spoke to Jack and had only been told that he was being dumped for commercial reasons.

She also insisted that she did not disclose any financial information to Jack and spoke only about what she believed was already on the public record.

However, her defense was seen as thin and her position was left in the hands of ministers.

The chairman of NatWest, Sir Howard Davies, did not check with No10 or the Treasury before endorsing Rose's position.

This has raised concerns about whether the bank's directors were truly representing the taxpayers' interests as shareholders.

The appearance of political vetting by banks has caused concern among ministers and MPs, many of whom share Farage's view that it is evidence of "woke" culture in British institutions.

This perception may be the consequence of banks' attempts to demonstrate greater social purpose in the wake of the financial crisis.

The resignation of Rose and the concerns surrounding her dismissal highlight the delicate balance between the role of banks in the economy and their responsibilities to the public.

It remains to be seen how the government will respond to these developments and whether they will take steps to In a recent development, the BBC has apologized to Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, for wrongly reporting that he had been refused a bank account by Coutts, a private bank.

The apology came after Coutts, a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Scotland, released a dossier detailing its reasons for terminating Farage's account, which included concerns about his association with a controversial political figure and the potential reputational risk to the bank.

Farage has accused Coutts of "political bias" and "betrayal," alleging that the bank had initially assured him that his account would not be affected by its association with former UKIP figures.

However, Coutts maintains that its decision was based on commercial considerations and reputational risk, and that it had apologized to Farage twice for its processes and the behavior of Dame Alison Cox, the former CEO of Coutts.

Farage has accused Dame Alison of being "desperate to get rid of me" and has called for her to resign.

He has also accused the Chancellor and Prime Minister of intervening more aggressively in this issue than in cases of more egregious wrongdoing by other banks, such as NatWest.

Under Dame Alison, NatWest recorded its largest profits since 2008, making it easier for the state to sell down its stake.

However, the search for a successor may slow down that process.

Meanwhile, Farage has accumulated more apologies than bank accounts, and he is reportedly seeking to add more scalps to his list, starting with Sir Howard and the NatWest board.
Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
10,000 Black Cab Drivers Sue Uber for $313M Over Alleged Breach of London Booking Rules
Today’s headlines
Interns Investigate Unsafe UK Criminal Convictions
Contaminated Blood Inquiry Highlights Omitted Risks
Kwasi Kwarteng Criticizes Liz Truss as 'Trumpian'
SNP Overcomes Labour Confidence Motion
Study Finds Gender Health Gap in UK
Reform UK Endorses Conspiracy Theorist Candidates
Family's Deportation Fears Before Channel Tragedy
Labour's Compromise on Zero-Hours Contracts
Risk of Rwandan Deportation for Misclassified Lone Children
Sadiq Khan Accuses Tories of Undermining London
London Daily Morning Headlines - Wednesday, May 1 2024
Amazon Cloud Sales Growth Accelerates
Apple Recruits Google Staff for AI Development
Changpeng Zhao Sentenced to Four Months in Jail
S&P 500 Experiences Worst Month Pre-Fed Announcement
Columbia University's Hard Line on Student Protests
Biden Administration to Relax Marijuana Regulations
Netanyahu's Firm Stance Amid Rafah Hostage Talks
BlackRock to Establish Saudi Investment Firm
UK Food Delivery Firms to Check Riders' Immigration Status
Elon Musk Disbands Tesla’s Supercharger Team
Major Changes at Manchester United Under Ratcliffe
Rap Lyrics as Trial Evidence in England and Wales
Rap Lyrics as Trial Evidence in England and Wales
Monty Panesar to Stand for George Galloway's Party
Sadiq Khan Leads in London Mayoral Polls
UK Tory Chair on Party Funding
Brexit Checks to Increase Food Import Costs
Legal Challenge to Cuts in England’s Cycling and Walking Budget
Rising Homelessness in England
Potential Criminalization of Lying by Politicians in Wales
MPs Advocate for Work Rights for Asylum Seekers
Home Office Loses Track of Rwanda Deportees
Historic Memo Challenges Current UK Insurance Policy
London Daily's Video newsletter
Labour Axes 'Levelling Up' Phrase
UK Sanctions Ineffective Against Russian Economy
Humza Yousaf Resigns as Scotland’s First Minister
UK Plans Cuts to Disability Benefits
UK House Sales Increase by 12% in April
FT and OpenAI Form Content Licensing Partnership
Local Elections to Set Tone for UK National Elections
Northern Ireland’s Troubles: New Legislation Faces Backlash
Dubai's New Al Maktoum International Airport: World's Largest with ₹2900 Crores Investment, 5 Runways, and 260 Million Annual Capacity
101-Year-Old Woman Mistaken for a Baby by American Airlines: Comical Mix-Up during Flight Check-in
New UK Laws: Banning Weak Passwords for Internet-Connected Devices to Enhance Cybersecurity
A British MP who visited Djibouti (Africa) was expelled there due to Chinese sanctions
Blinken on Gaza: Ceasefire is Key to Humanitarian Crisis Resolution
×