Nigel Farage exploring private prosecution against Natwest
The reform leader Nigel Farage is reported to have instructed a legal council to explore private criminal proceedings against banking giant Natwest over the debanking row.
Sky News confirmed that law firm Grosvenor Law instructed barrister Chris Daw KC of Lincoln House Chambers to examine whether there are grounds for a criminal case.
The row started when Farage claimed Natwest-owned Coutts had ‘debanked’ him over his political views.
The scandal resulted in Dame Alison Rose resigning as chief executive after she outed herself as the source of a BBC story about Farage’s finances.
Grosvenor Law partner Dan Morrison told Sky News: “Farage is concerned about possible criminal issues arising out of the bank’s conduct, ” adding, “We have therefore decided to instruct leading criminal counsel.”
However, there has been speculation online over the barrister’s choice. Chris Daw KC has previously criticised Farage on X (formerly Twitter)
In a July 2023 post, he said, “Farage has repeatedly and publicly expressed admiration for Putin, a murderous dictator. Farage has been complicit in destabilising Europe and stoking up anti-EU sentiment, in direct alignment with Putin’s world view. No respectable bank should do business with him.”
However, he tweeted out the Bar Code of Conduct rule last night on the ‘cab rank rule’, which means barristers “must accept work based on their competency, regardless of their personal views on the client or the case, to ensure everyone has access to a lawyer.”
Farage also has ongoing civil proceedings against Natwest Group over his de-banking row.