Banks could face "very large" fines if they blacklist customers for their political views, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said, as the issue of 'de-banking' continues to plague lenders in the wake of Coutts' decision to cut ties with Nigel Farage.

Since internal documents revealed that the bank decided to stop working with the former UKIP leader not just because he fell below commercial thresholds, but also because his views were seen as out of line with the lender's own, a host of politicians have piled pressure on the City not to boot out clients they might disagree with.