Senior Labour MPs have questioned Downing Street’s “astonishing” move to heap pressure onto demands for the resignation of NatWest’s Dame Alison Rose in the row centring on Nigel Farage.
Dame Alison resigned as chief executive after acknowledging a “serious error of judgment” by discussing with a BBC journalist Mr Farage’s relationship with private bank Coutts.
The “significant concerns” from Downing Street and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt about her remaining in the post had been made public in the hours before she stood down.
Shadow trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said Dame Alison’s position was a “matter for NatWest” rather than for the Government to intervene.
With a 38.6% stake, the Government remains the biggest shareholder in NatWest after the taxpayer bailed out the bank during the 2008 financial crisis.
But Mr Thomas-Symonds questioned why No 10 and the Treasury heaped pressure on Dame Alison when they were “slow to act” in pushing out scandal-hit ministers.
He told Sky News: “It’s astonishing, isn’t it, to see last night the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister under pressure from outside weighing in so quickly against a business leader like Dame Alison Rose?
“When you think about the situations we’ve had in Government, whether it’s with Nadhim Zahawi, whether it’s with Gavin Williamson, whether it’s with Dominic Raab, when the Government certainly hasn’t been holding itself to that same standard.
“When it comes to dealing decisively with colleagues in Government, the Prime Minister has invariably been slow to act but when it came to this situation last night with a business leader they moved straight in.
“If only the Government would hold itself to the same standards of speed, I’m sure we’d be in a much better position generally.”
He added: “It was a matter between Dame Alison Rose and the NatWest board. The Chancellor and the Prime Minister never showed such a desire to intervene when they had their own problems.”
Darren Jones, who chairs the Commons Business and Trade Committee, argued that the intervention was because of the “power Farage seems to have over the Tories”.
The Labour MP said he does not question that Dame Alison “did something wrong” but asked why “the PM got involved”.
He acknowledged the public stake in NatWest, but also referred to the Government’s complete ownership of the Post Office.
Mr Jones tweeted: “Has the PM told the CEO to pay back bonuses based on false accounts? Or asked him to resign? No. Spot the difference?”
A No 10 source said Dame Alison “has done the right thing in resigning”, saying the Prime Minister “was concerned about the unfolding situation”.
“Everyone would expect people in public life – whether that’s in a business leadership role or otherwise – to act responsibly and with integrity,” they added.
Tory ministers including Energy Secretary Grant Shapps also welcomed Dame Alison’s resignation.
City minister Andrew Griffith said: “This would never have happened if NatWest had not taken it upon itself to withdraw a bank account due to someone’s lawful political views. That was and is always unacceptable.”
