BBC apologises to Nigel Farage over Coutts story

Dominic Mcgrath And Patrick Daly

THE BBC has apologised to Nigel Farage for suggesting he lacked the funds needed to hold an account at Coutts after the private bank cut ties with the former Ukip leader.

The BBC’s business editor Simon Jack made the apology after a story published by the corporation suggested Farage had his account shut for “falling below” the private bank’s wealth limit.

Farage later acquired dossiers indicating his account was shut by Coutts, owned by Natwest Group, because it had found his public statements did “not align” with its values.

The original story was updated last Friday, with the BBC acknowledging “that the information we reported –that Coutts’s decision on Nigel Farage’s account did not involve considerations about his political views – turned out not to be accurate”.

It told readers that the headline and article had been updated to reflect the fact that the “closure of Nigel Farage’s bank account came from a source”.

Jack yesterday tweeted: “The information on which we based our reporting on Nigel Farage and his bank accounts came from a trusted and senior source. However, the information turned out to be incomplete and inaccurate. Therefore I would like to apologise to Mr Farage.”

The former Brexit Party leader said he had received a letter from BBC News chief exec Deborah Turness, and added that he accepted the apology.