PUSHED OUT
NatWest boss Dame Alison Rose is sacked from role on Rishi Sunak’s business council as Farage row intensifies
DOWNING Street today welcomed the decision of woke NatWest boss Dame Alison Rose to quit her job.
A source close to Rishi Sunak said the PM had been "concerned about the unfolding situation".
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They added: "Alison Rose has done the right thing in resigning.
“Everyone would expect people in public life - whether that’s in a business leadership role or otherwise - to act responsibly and with integrity.”
Even Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer admitted NatWest "got this one wrong".
He told the BBC he feels sorry for Mr Farage having his personal details revealed.
"It doesn't matter who you are, that's a general rule," he said.
The former CEO was ousted in the early hours of this morning after a late night board summit.
Dame Alison was also sacked from her two government roles today.
She previously sat on the PM's Business Council and the government's energy efficiency taskforce.
The ex-CEO sparked a major uproar yesterday after admitting she was the source of a false BBC story about Nigel Farage.
The broadcaster's Business Editor Simon Jack had wrongly reported Mr Farage lost his account simply for not having enough cash.
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In truth, it was shut down because of his legally held political opinions.
In the early evening the NatWest board stood by their leader to the immense anger of leading ministers and MPs.
But by 2am her time was up, and this morning the bank's shares were down 3.3%.
Now, Mr Farage is calling for the board that originally stood by her to also quit.
The ex-Brexit Party chief said: "The first rule of banking is client confidentiality. Dame Alison clearly broke that.
"She was the source of the leak and if anybody in a more junior position working at the NatWest Bank had done that, they would have been out the door.
"Yet we got this extraordinary statement that came at quarter to six last night that said 'yes, she breached client confidentiality but we, the board, still have confidence in her'.
"Any member of the board who supported that statement last night simply shouldn't be there."
This morning Policing Minister Chris Philp told Times Radio that it's "right" Dame Alison resigned.
He said: "It's fairly clear that she passed on confidential information about a bank client, Nigel Farage, to a journalist.
"It turns out that information was also inaccurate. And I think it's also wrong in the first place, that somebody was denied banking services simply because of their political views.
"We believe in free speech and freedom of political opinions in this country."
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NatWest chair Sir Howard Davies said in a statement: "The Board and Alison Rose have agreed, by mutual consent, that she will step down as CEO of the NatWest Group. It is a sad moment.
"She has dedicated all her working life so far to NatWest and will leave many colleagues who respect and admire her."
David Davis MP, former Brexit secretary, told Times Radio that "woke corporatism" is "nuts" and businesses should focus on providing services and employment rather than "virtue signalling".
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He said: "I think it's slightly nuts. I mean, I've been fighting some of the battles they're now espousing for 30 odd years.
"Frankly, their job is to provide their services, give their shareholders a return, provide employment for their people and obey the law."
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