NIGEL Farage was left fuming with BBC Radio 4 host Nick Robinson after he “teased” the former Ukip leader about his election record.
It comes after Farage called for a wider shake-up of the NatWest board, following the resignation of Dame Alison Rose.
She admitted to a “serious error of judgement” when she discussed Farage’s relationship with private bank Coutts, owned by NatWest Group, with a BBC journalist.
Kicking off between Nick Robinson and Nigel Farage on Radio 4 pic.twitter.com/QmQmtZN22r
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) July 26, 2023
Last week, the former MEP presented evidence that his account at Coutts had been closed partly due to his political views conflicting with the bank’s values.
He appeared on Radio 4 to discuss the news and Nick Robinson said to him: “Pretty much whatever you do there’s people saying ‘I know what this is about, he wants to get back into politics’.
“I know you’ve run seven times and lost seven times.”
Robinson was then cut off as Farage was left fuming at the framing of Robinson’s question.
He replied: “I’m really not going to have this. I’m sick to death of your condescending tone.”
The host said he was only “teasing” although Farage replied: “What you should say to people is you’re the only person in British history who has won two national elections leading two different parties.”
Asked if he was coming back, Farage said that he would not be and that he was now a “champion and crusader for men and women who have been closed down by the banks”.
Robinson again said he was “teasing” and that they had discussed Farage’s parliamentary career in the past.
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The BBC and its business editor Simon Jack apologised, saying the reporting on Farage’s bank account had been based on information from a “trusted and senior source” but “turned out to be incomplete and inaccurate”.
In a statement of her own, Rose said she remains “immensely proud of the progress the bank has made in supporting people, families and business across the UK, and building the foundations for sustainable growth”.
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