Nationwide customer seeking election to board hits out at lender for ‘unfair’ treatment

Nationwide, Britain’s largest building society, is mutually owned by its member-customers. The last member to sit on the board retired in 2002. Photograph: Michael Kemp/Alamy

A Nationwide customer seeking election to the building society’s board has criticised the lender for “unfair” treatment and undermining democratic governance after it said it would tell members to vote against him.

James Sherwin-Smith said Nationwide had tilted the field against him after it confirmed it would give members a default “quick vote” option that included a vote against his candidacy at the annual meeting in July.