It is the unintended consequences of Brexit that often cause the most bother.
I have just been informed by Barclays that they are closing my account, after 43 years, because I am an EU resident without a permanent address in the UK. They are not obliged to shut me down. It is not a requirement arising from the withdrawal. They have simply weighed up the pros and cons of keeping me on and decided they don’t need me.
Over the last 18 months, ever since Britain finally quit the EU, it has been business as usual between me and Barclays. My UK earnings, my pensions, my direct debits and my expenses when visiting London have all been taken care of by the bank I first joined in 1979 after being interrogated by the assistant manager of the St Paul’s branch next to my new employers, the Financial Times.
