The BBC has issued an apology to Nigel Farage over a story on the closure of his Coutts bank account, “which turned out not to be accurate”.
In a statement, the broadcaster said: “Because of this evidence, we have since changed the headline and the copy on the original online article about his bank account being shut for falling below the wealth limit to reflect that the claim came from a source and added an update to recognise the story had changed.
“We acknowledge that the information we reported – that Coutts’ decision on Mr Farage’s account did not involve considerations about his political views – turned out not to be accurate and have apologised to Mr Farage.”
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader revealed last month that the exclusive bank – used by the Royal Family – had written to him to tell him both his personal and business accounts were being closed.
No explanation was given at the time, but the BBC then reported it was because Mr Farage had fallen below the level of wealth required by Coutts – and not because of his political opinions.
But Mr Farage said he had received a 40-page dossier from Coutts – which is owned by NatWest Group – which suggested the decision was made because his views did not align with the firm’s “values”.
He also accused the NatWest Group of passing his personal and financial data to the BBC.
The corporation’s business editor, Simon Jack, also said sorry in a Tweet.
He wrote: “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.”