Rishi Sunak pressure on NatWest 'shows power Nigel Farage has over Tories'
Rishi Sunak's decision to pile pressure on NatWest following the Nigel Farage row shows the power the ex-UKIP leader has over the Tories, critics have fumed.
Last night it emerged Downing Street and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt had voiced "serious concerns" about the conduct of the bank's chief executive Dame Alison Rose.
Senior Labour MPs have said Dame Alison was in the wrong, but questioned why the PM got involved in this case and not others.
Dame Alison's resignation was announced in the early hours of the morning after it emerged she had spoken to a BBC journalist about Mr Farage's relationship with the Coutts, which NatWest owns.
Darren Jones, who chairs the Commons Business Select Committee, wrote: "If Ministers really wanted to crack down on CEO behaviour, they would have done so in many cases by now.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Dame Alison Rose's resignation was announced in the early hours of the morning (Handout)"So why intervene in the Coutts-Farage case? It’s about power. The power Farage seems to have over the Tories. And the lack of it that everyday workers and customers have."
Referencing a recent committee hearing on Post Office bosses who were wrongly paid bonuses, Mr Jones continued: "I don’t question that Alison Rose did something wrong. I question why the PM got involved.
"Because we own 39% of NatWest? We own 100% of the Post Office. Has the PM told the CEO to pay back bonuses based on false accounts?
"Or asked him to resign? No. Spot the difference?"
Dame Alison resigned as chief executive after acknowledging a "serious error of judgment" by discussing Mr Farage's relationship with private bank Coutts with a BBC journalist.
Was Sunak right to intervene in the Farage/NatWest row? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said NatWest was in the "wrong" and that Dame Alison had no choice but to resign.
But earlier shadow trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds had claimed it was a "matter for NatWest" rather than for the Government to intervene.
The Government has a 38.6% stake in the bank, which owns Coutts, after the taxpayer bailed out the bank during the 2008 financial crisis.
Nigel Farage has been heavily critical of Coutts in the past week (itvpeston/Twitter)Mr Thomas-Symonds questioned why No 10 and the Treasury heaped pressure on Dame Alison when they were "slow to act" in pushing out scandal-hit ministers.
Richard 'shuts up' GMB guest who says Hancock 'deserved' being called 'd***head'
He told Sky News: "It's astonishing, isn't it, to see last night the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister under pressure from outside weighing in so quickly against a business leader like Dame Alison Rose?
"When you think about the situations we've had in Government, whether it's with Nadhim Zahawi, whether it's with Gavin Williamson, whether it's with Dominic Raab, when the Government certainly hasn't been holding itself to that same standard.
"When it comes to dealing decisively with colleagues in Government, the Prime Minister has invariably been slow to act but when it came to this situation last night with a business leader they moved straight in.
"If only the Government would hold itself to the same standards of speed, I'm sure we'd be in a much better position generally."
Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt voiced 'serious concerns' about Dame Alison's conduct (SIMON WALKER/No10/UNPIXS)He added: "It was a matter between Dame Alison Rose and the NatWest board. The Chancellor and the Prime Minister never showed such a desire to intervene when they had their own problems."
Mr Starmer told BBC Radio 5 Live: "NatWest got this one wrong. And that's why Alison Rose had to resign."
Asked if he felt sorry for Mr Farage, he said: "Yeah, he shouldn't have had his personal details revealed like that. As a broad principle, nobody should be refused banking because of their political views."
A No 10 source said Dame Alison "has done the right thing in resigning", saying the Prime Minister "was concerned about the unfolding situation".
"Everyone would expect people in public life - whether that's in a business leadership role or otherwise - to act responsibly and with integrity," they added.
Tory ministers including Energy Secretary Grant Shapps also welcomed Dame Alison's resignation.
City minister Andrew Griffith said: "This would never have happened if NatWest had not taken it upon itself to withdraw a bank account due to someone's lawful political views. That was and is always unacceptable."
Following her NatWest resignation, Dame Alison has also stepped down as co-chair of the Energy Efficiency Taskforce and as a Member of the Net Zero Council at the request of cabinet member Grant Shapps.
And a No10 spokesperson said: “Following her resignation as CEO of NatWest Group, the Government has confirmed that Dame Alison Rose is no longer a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Council.”
* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
