NatWest to strip former boss Rose of millions, report says

Sky News reported that the bank would make an announcement on Friday.

August Graham
Friday 10 November 2023 07:51 GMT
Dame Alison Rose stepped down after admitting she had been the source for a BBC article (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Dame Alison Rose stepped down after admitting she had been the source for a BBC article (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

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The former boss of NatWest is set to have much of her £10 million pay-off taken away by the banking giant, according to a report, after she admitted being the source of a BBC article.

The bank is on Friday expected to announce that it will not pay Dame Alison Rose most of the discretionary parts of her pay package, Sky News said.

The announcement comes a little under four months since Dame Alison stepped down as chief executive of the bank, which also owns Coutts.

Her departure came after she said that she had spoken to a BBC journalist about former Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s relationship with Coutts.

Mr Farage revealed in June that Coutts was planning to close his account.

He claimed it was due to his political opinions. But days later an article appeared in the BBC citing sources claiming that the account was closed for commercial reasons.

Coutts is a bank for the wealthy, and there are minimum thresholds for the amount of money customers must have or borrow from it.

Weeks later, Dame Alison was forced to admit that she was the source for the BBC article.

Initially she tried to stay on in the job, with the backing of the board. But in the early hours of the next morning the bank said she would leave.

Dame Alison was set to continue to be paid her annual salary of £1.2 million for her 12-month notice period after she resigned.

But the bank had the option to strip her of millions of unvested shares and other financial rewards.

After Mr Farage requested details of the decision to close his account, it emerged that the bank had explored his political opinions when discussing the closure. It also cited commercial reasons for jettisoning him as a client.

NatWest declined to comment.

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