He claimed Britain had become “completely unliveable” following the closure of his bank accounts.
Nigel Farage on Thursday said he is “considering leaving Britain” over a spat with his bank, which he claims is motivated by their opposition to Brexit.
Speaking on GB News, the ardent Brexiteer claimed the recent closure of his bank account – which he has held since the 1980s – was forcing him to ask whether he should remain in Britain.
“I’ve been considering over the course of the day, my options, I’ve spent time talking to lawyers, I’ve been considering legal action. I’ve been asking myself whether frankly, it’s even worth staying in this country,” he said.
Farage suggested the reason for the closure could be “purely political” or “prejudice” from the “British establishment”.
He claimed the bank’s “ridiculous” action was due to his Brexit campaigning, without producing any evidence for the allegation.
“It isn’t just happening to me,” he said. “I know of people going back nearly 10 years who were UKIP candidates, UKIP MEPs and others in prominent positions in the Brexit party, who also had their bank accounts closed, but none of them had really had the voice to speak out.”
Views towards Brexit in Britain’s powerful financial industry are diverse. However, the majority of major banks and financial oppositions opposed leaving the European Union, believing it would cause harmful disruptions, regulatory challenges and restrict access to the European market.
Farage described not having a bank account as being akin to a “non-person”.
“It’s rather like living in Germany or Russia 80 years ago, or perhaps even Communist China today. I wonder: Are we living in communist China today in this country?”, he asked.
The former UKIP leader said he was “generally pretty tough” about fighting through these things.
“But just for once, I’m really pretty thoughtful… about whether it’s actually worth living in this country at the moment. What I’m gonna do is take some time off… to consider what my next steps are going to be,” he added.
