Latest news with #MrJ
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NatWest customer offended by Pride flags told to bank online
A NatWest customer who complained about an LGBT Pride campaign at his local branch was told to bank online, documents show. The customer, known only as 'Mr J', went into NatWest last July and was upset by the Pride materials on display. He claimed that the paraphernalia distressed him both because of his disabilities and religious beliefs but NatWest refused to take them down. The bank pointed out most of the services he required could have been done online. Mr J escalated his complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in November, alleging the bank had failed to make adjustments required by the Equality Act 2010. The Act prohibits discrimination on a number of personal characteristics. Investigators ruled in NatWest's favour, adding the bank offered 'multiple ways' for customers to carry out their banking which do not involve visiting a physical branch. Ombudsman Danielle Padden wrote: 'NatWest is a bank that has chosen to display Pride materials along with other paraphernalia at certain times of the year. As a service, we wouldn't be able to tell them not to do that, as they are entitled to celebrate and raise awareness of the communities they serve.' Ms Padden added: 'I'm not able to decide that NatWest have acted unfairly here. They have provided alternative methods of banking and are entitled to decide what materials they display in their branches at certain times of the year.' To challenge NatWest's right to display Pride materials in its branches, Mr J would have to take them to court, the ombudsman said. The FOS told Mr J that he could use ATM machines outside the branch or a Post Office nearby to avoid the paraphernalia, or that he could use telephone or online banking. Records shared by NatWest showed that most of the activities he visited the branch to do between July and August 2024 could have been done online. The bank said Mr J – who claimed he needed to visit the bank in-person – could appoint a third party to visit the branch while Pride materials are prominently displayed. In the bank's 2024 annual report, it says that it 'celebrates Pride across the UK', and was ranked number 45 in the Top 100 Employers in charity Stonewall's UK Workplace Equality Index. On its website, NatWest states that it aims to 'continue to deliver a better LGBT+ colleague and customer experience through continuously challenging the status quo.' The rainbow 'Pride' flag was created in San Francisco in the 1970s, and has been adopted by pro-LGBT supporters worldwide. In 2018, an updated version, known as the 'Progress Pride Flag' was designed by Daniel Quasar, with a chevron added to represent trans and non-binary people. It comes after students at the Oxford Union refused to mandate the annual flying of the Pride flag in the month of June. At a meeting of the Union's standing committee on May 5, president Anita Okunde said that the rule requiring the flying of the flag had mysteriously been removed. But a motion to restore the rule, and to allow presidents to waive it in cases of national mourning, was rejected by seven votes to four, with critics fearing it would open a 'Pandora's box' of demands for other flags to be flown. NatWest was contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NatWest customer offended by Pride flags told to bank online
A NatWest customer who complained about an LGBT Pride campaign at his local branch was told to bank online, documents show. The customer, known only as 'Mr J', went into NatWest last July and was upset by the Pride materials on display. He claimed that the paraphernalia distressed him both because of his disabilities and religious beliefs but NatWest refused to take them down. The bank pointed out most of the services he required could have been done online. Mr J escalated his complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in November, alleging the bank had failed to make adjustments required by the Equality Act 2010. The Act prohibits discrimination on a number of personal characteristics. Investigators ruled in NatWest's favour, adding the bank offered 'multiple ways' for customers to carry out their banking which do not involve visiting a physical branch. Ombudsman Danielle Padden wrote: 'NatWest is a bank that has chosen to display Pride materials along with other paraphernalia at certain times of the year. As a service, we wouldn't be able to tell them not to do that, as they are entitled to celebrate and raise awareness of the communities they serve.' Ms Padden added: 'I'm not able to decide that NatWest have acted unfairly here. They have provided alternative methods of banking and are entitled to decide what materials they display in their branches at certain times of the year.' To challenge NatWest's right to display Pride materials in its branches, Mr J would have to take them to court, the ombudsman said. The FOS told Mr J that he could use ATM machines outside the branch or a Post Office nearby to avoid the paraphernalia, or that he could use telephone or online banking. Records shared by NatWest showed that most of the activities he visited the branch to do between July and August 2024 could have been done online. The bank said Mr J – who claimed he needed to visit the bank in-person – could appoint a third party to visit the branch while Pride materials are prominently displayed. In the bank's 2024 annual report, it says that it 'celebrates Pride across the UK', and was ranked number 45 in the Top 100 Employers in charity Stonewall's UK Workplace Equality Index. On its website, NatWest states that it aims to 'continue to deliver a better LGBT+ colleague and customer experience through continuously challenging the status quo.' The rainbow 'Pride' flag was created in San Francisco in the 1970s, and has been adopted by pro-LGBT supporters worldwide. In 2018, an updated version, known as the 'Progress Pride Flag' was designed by Daniel Quasar, with a chevron added to represent trans and non-binary people. It comes after students at the Oxford Union refused to mandate the annual flying of the Pride flag in the month of June. At a meeting of the Union's standing committee on May 5, president Anita Okunde said that the rule requiring the flying of the flag had mysteriously been removed. But a motion to restore the rule, and to allow presidents to waive it in cases of national mourning, was rejected by seven votes to four, with critics fearing it would open a 'Pandora's box' of demands for other flags to be flown. NatWest was contacted for comment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
NatWest customer offended by Pride flags told to bank online
A NatWest customer who complained about an LGBT Pride campaign at his local branch was told to bank online, documents show. The customer, known only as 'Mr J', went into NatWest last July and was upset by the Pride materials on display. He claimed that the paraphernalia distressed him both because of his disabilities and religious beliefs but NatWest refused to take them down. The bank pointed out most of the services he required could have been done online. Mr J escalated his complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in November, alleging the bank had failed to make adjustments required by the Equality Act 2010. The Act prohibits discrimination on a number of personal characteristics. Investigators ruled in NatWest's favour, adding the bank offered 'multiple ways' for customers to carry out their banking which do not involve visiting a physical branch. Ombudsman Danielle Padden wrote: 'NatWest is a bank that has chosen to display Pride materials along with other paraphernalia at certain times of the year. As a service, we wouldn't be able to tell them not to do that, as they are entitled to celebrate and raise awareness of the communities they serve.' Ms Padden added: 'I'm not able to decide that NatWest have acted unfairly here. They have provided alternative methods of banking and are entitled to decide what materials they display in their branches at certain times of the year.' To challenge NatWest's right to display Pride materials in its branches, Mr J would have to take them to court, the ombudsman said. The FOS told Mr J that he could use ATM machines outside the branch or a Post Office nearby to avoid the paraphernalia, or that he could use telephone or online banking. Records shared by NatWest showed that most of the activities he visited the branch to do between July and August 2024 could have been done online. The bank said Mr J – who claimed he needed to visit the bank in-person – could appoint a third party to visit the branch while Pride materials are prominently displayed. In the bank's 2024 annual report, it says that it 'celebrates Pride across the UK', and was ranked number 45 in the Top 100 Employers in charity Stonewall's UK Workplace Equality Index. On its website, NatWest states that it aims to 'continue to deliver a better LGBT+ colleague and customer experience through continuously challenging the status quo.' The rainbow 'Pride' flag was created in San Francisco in the 1970s, and has been adopted by pro-LGBT supporters worldwide. In 2018, an updated version, known as the 'Progress Pride Flag' was designed by Daniel Quasar, with a chevron added to represent trans and non-binary people. It comes after students at the Oxford Union refused to mandate the annual flying of the Pride flag in the month of June. At a meeting of the Union's standing committee on May 5, president Anita Okunde said that the rule requiring the flying of the flag had mysteriously been removed. But a motion to restore the rule, and to allow presidents to waive it in cases of national mourning, was rejected by seven votes to four, with critics fearing it would open a 'Pandora's box' of demands for other flags to be flown.
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Man wrongly listed as father of IVF twins paid maintenance for 16 years, court hears
A man wrongly named as 'father' on the birth certificates of IVF twins 16 years ago has only just been legally removed after paying £43,000 in child maintenance. The man, known only as Mr J, has not seen the children since his short-lived marriage to their mother ended when they were a year old. Mr Justice Cobb made the decision in London's family court, despite the mother's protests the children would be harmed by a ruling that would mean they had 'no legal father in the world'. While the mother's eggs were used to create the twin embryos, the sperm came from a donor and there was no genetic link between the children and her ex-husband. Although the pair were married at the time of the twins' birth, they were not married when the babies – known only as A and B – were conceived. However, Mr J's name was put on the birth certificates as the twins' father and he has paid child maintenance of £240 per month towards their upkeep for the whole of their lives – a total of £43,200. It comes despite having 'had no contact with the children of any kind since the parties separated more than fifteen years ago – no visits, no cards, no letters, no photographs'. Mr J went to the family court in London last month, seeking to be legally removed as the twins' father so he could stop paying child maintenance because he has now retired. 'No visits, no cards, no letters' Mr Justice Cobb, allowing Mr J's application, said that, under the law at the time the twins were conceived, he was not legally their father and should not have been on their birth certificate at all. Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, a man who engaged in IVF treatment not involving his own sperm is only legally deemed the parent of any child that results if the IVF takes place at a registered UK clinic. Because the procedure took place abroad and he had no genetic link with the babies, he was never their legal father, the judge said. Giving his ruling, the judge explained: 'Mr J has had no contact with the children of any kind since the parties separated more than 15 years ago – no visits, no cards, no letters, no photographs. But throughout the whole period, it is agreed that he has maintained them financially … over the last 16 years. 'Mr J states that he has now retired from working on grounds of ill health, and now cannot continue to pay.' He has 'written off' the money already paid, the judge added. 'He has no wish to recover it,' they said. 'He simply wishes the liability to end at this point.' 'No legal father in the world' The twins' mother claimed Mr J was involved in the IVF process and 'they had embarked on this course on the basis that he would become the father to A and B'. She said she was particularly concerned about the 'negative impact' that taking Mr J of the twins' birth certificates would have on B. The mother added that she could not understand 'how declaring that [the children have no legal father in the world is ever in the children's best interest, especially when [B] clearly feels very rejected'. But the judge stated: 'The fact that Mr J was erroneously registered as the children's father on their birth certificates does not itself confer legal parentage on him.' He went on to make the declaration of non-parentage, despite the mother's protests, saying: 'Clarification as to A and B's legal parentage should promote their true identity … this will, in my judgment, be to their benefit throughout childhood and adulthood. 'Specifically, the mother will no longer be required to obtain formal consents from Mr J in relation to formal processes such as passport renewal.'
