So farewell then, Alison Rose. When it turned out that the “trusted and senior source” at NatWest who told the BBC’s business editor that Nigel Farage had been dumped by Coutts because he had inadequate funds was none other than Dame Alison Rose, CEO of NatWest, the surprise was non-existent.
In her confession – sorry, statement – the Dame graciously conceded: “I recognise that in my conversations with Simon Jack of the BBC, I made a serious error of judgement…” Er, yes, one could say that. The ethical implications of discussing a client’s financial status with the media are set out around page 3 of Teach Yourself Banking. Dame Alison further admitted that “I left Mr Jack with the impression that the decision to close Mr Farage’s accounts was solely a commercial one”.
