A British state owned bank has been forced to reverse its decision to withdraw banking facilities to the state owned Russian news channel RT.
Yesterday RT said NatWest, owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), which is majority-controlled by the British government, withdrew its banking services to the news channel. No reason was given for the decision.
RT used Twitter yesterday to announce that its British bank account was being closed, adding sarcastically: “Praise be to freedom of speech!”
RBS however was forced to reverse its decision after Moscow threatened to freeze the BBC’s finances in Russia and report Britain to international watchdogs for breaching commitments to freedom of speech.
The strong reaction from Russia forced RBS to climb-down from taking punitive actions against RT, formerly known as Russia Today, which is frequently accused of peddling disinformation on behalf of the Kremlin.