I was debanked, claims ex-boe Andy Haldane

FORMER Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has claimed he was debanked like Nigel Farage after being refused an account because of his “political” connections.

Mr Haldane said he was turned down by an unnamed lender last year, which told him the decision was “because you are politically connected by dint of working for the Bank of England”. In a speech last night at the Royal Society of Arts, where Mr Haldane is now chief executive, he said: “Three problems with that: one, I wasn’t working for the Bank of England [by that point]. Two, the Bank of England is by statute independent from government. Third, the Bank of England was their regulator, so the risk was to their regulator.”

Mr Haldane highlighted the story with a point on a slideshow saying “we are all Nigels now,” in reference to Mr

Farage who had his bank account closed last year. The anecdote formed part of Mr Haldane’s argument that City regulation had gone too far and was crushing growth, putting off any risk taking.

Mr Farage, the broadcaster and Reform UK honorary president, was told by private bank Coutts his account was to be closed with little explanation. It later emerged staff had claimed Mr Farage was “racist and xenophobic”, something he called an “appalling slur”.