He said: “It’s the kind of thing you’d expect in Communist China, not a supposedly free country like ours.
“The Treasury urgently needs to change the financial regulations so this kind of thing cannot continue to happen.”
In June, Barclays Bank was forced to pay over £20,000 compensation to Christian ministry groups, after closing their accounts due to pressure from LGBTQ+ groups, who were concerned about conversion therapy practices.
Dr Mike Davidson, director of Christian identity and sexual preference support organisation Core Issues Trust, launched a legal claim against the bank, supported by the Christian Legal Centre.
Before the case was due to be heard at the High Court, Barclays made a settlement offer of £21,500 in compensation, with legal costs to follow, which Dr Davidson has accepted this week.
Henrik Overgaard Nielsen, a former MEP for the Brexit Party, was informed his account with MetroBank would be closed.
In a post on Twitter, Mr Nielsen said he had a stable income, had never owed MetroBank any money and was not in any financial difficulty. His daughter was also refused a mortgage, and Mr Nielsen suspects this is because he was a guarantor.
Baroness Claire Fox, director of the think tank Academy of Ideas, said she had had the same experience and “suspected political” motivation.
A Metro Bank spokesperson said the bank is and will remain “politically neutral”.
“We regularly review our customer accounts and close those which are no longer commercially viable,” they said. “The decision to close any account is made for commercial reasons only as a business as usual decision.”
Earlier this week, Nigel Farage said he may be forced to leave Britain after his bank closed his accounts and others refused his custom.
The former UKIP leader said his personal and business accounts with a major retail bank have been closed because of a “commercial decision” and other high street firms have refused to allow him to transfer his funds to them.
Mr Farage told The Telegraph he may have been the victim of “blatant corporate prejudice” because of his campaigning for Brexit, or fallen foul of “politically exposed person” rules designed to lower banks’ exposure to bribery and money-laundering.
