Revolt at the Athenaeum! Row erupts at 202-year-old Pall Mall private club over 'woke' decision to allow former NatWest boss at centre of Farage debanking scandal to join

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 03:44 EDT, 13 September 2026 | Updated: 04:01 EDT, 13 September 2026 A furious row has erupted at a centuries old private club over the decision to give membership to a former NatWest boss who was at the centre of the Nigel Farage 'debanking' scandal. Dame Alison Rose was forced to resign as NatWest's chief executive in July 2023 after the Reform UK leader's bank account was closed because of his political views. Mr Farage was involved in a major clash with the bank after it closed his account with the upmarket bank Coutts, resulting in him being paid an 'unspecified sum' and costing Dame Alison her job. Now, a 202-year-old club is in revolt over the chairman's choice to admit the former NatWest boss who was at the centre of the scandal. Members of The Athenaeum Club - founded in 1824 for men and women with intellectual interests such as science, engineering, literature and the arts - wrote a letter in February last year warning the Pall Mall club's leadership that Dame Alison was 'unsuitable to become a member'. The letter, penned by 30 members to the club's chairman, Sir Philip May, husband of former Tory prime minister Theresa May, said that Dame Alison's previous conduct went 'directly against the traditions of the club', one of which was to be apolitical. The Anthenaeum Club in Pall Mall, London, which was founded in 1824Dame Alison Rose was forced to resign as NatWest's chief executive in July 2023 after the Reform UK leader's bank account was closed because of his political views Nigel Farage had his bank account at upmarket Coutts closed amid a 'debanking' row in 2023 They claimed that her reputation would bring the club into disrepute, adding that she did not have the intellectual credentials to qualify for membership. Traditionally, The Athenaeum, described as a 'club of the mind', requires potential applicants to be eminent in the arts, science, politics, or religion, or be a patron of one to be permitted membership. But their letter was ignored. Uproar followed after Dame Alison was into the historic club, turning the debate into a row over a 'woke agenda'. Present and former members of the club claimed that the former banker was let in for her wealth and 'woke credentials', indicating the club's 'money-grabbing' attitude under Sir Philip's chairmanship. One member said: 'She does not have any outstanding intellectual attainments, but with her banking wealth and her new job in DEI [at a city law firm], May was happy to tread down any objection to her joining,' the Telegraph reported. Several members also accused Sir Philip of pursuing a left-wing agenda and behaving in a 'dictatorial fashion'. Dame Alison's admission into the club comes despite the widespread scandal in 2023 over NatWest's 'debanking' of Reform leader Nigel Farage for his political views. In July 2023, Mr Farage obtained internal evidence from the bank suggesting his account with Coutts, which is owned by NatWest Group, had been closed partly due to his political views. Dame Alison Rose was then forced to stand down as chief executive after she admitted to being the source of an inaccurate story about the politician's finances – which said the closure was instead for commercial reasons. The Tories proposed forcing banks to give people more notice of account closure in 2024, but their plans were kyboshed when Rishi Sunak called and then lost the July general election. After the vote the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it wanted banks to improve the way they treat political figures, after investigating debanking. It found that most firms it reviewed did not subject politically exposed persons (PEPs) to excessive checks or deny them an account based on their status. Nevertheless, most banks and financial firms could improve the way they treat politicians and their families, the regulator concluded. In December 2023 the Tory government changed the law so that UK PEPs must be treated as 'inherently lower risk' than overseas politicians. The Daily Mail contacted Dame Alison Rose and The Athenaeum Club for comment.