Nigel Farage has claimed his bank accounts have been closed, saying life in the UK is becoming “completely unlivable”.

The former Brexit Party leader said the unnamed banking group, which he has been with since 1980, told him it was a commercial decision.

However, Mr Farage said on Twitter this amounted to “serious political persecution”, suggesting the decision was made due to his involvement in the 2016 European Union referendum.

He said in a video: “I got a phone call a couple of months ago to say ‘we are closing your accounts’, I asked ‘why’, no reason was given.

“I was told a letter would come which will explain everything, the letter came through and simply said ‘we are closing your accounts, we want to finish it all by a date’, which is around about now.

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“I didn’t quite know what to make of it, I complained, I emailed the chairman, a lackey phoned me to say that it was a commercial decision, which I have to say, I don’t believe for a single moment.

“So I thought, well there we are, I’ll have to go and find a different bank, I’ve been to seven banks, asked them all ‘could I have a personal and a business account?’, and the answer has been no in every single case.

“There is nothing irregular or unusual about what I do, the payments that go in and come out every month are pretty much the same, I maintain in my business account quite a big positive cash balance, which I guess with interest rates where they are is pretty good for the bank too.”

Mr Farage, a prominent Leave campaigner, suggested this could be due to “prejudice” because the “corporate world” has probably not forgiven him for Brexit.

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The former Ukip leader went on: “Without a bank account you effectively become a non-person, you don’t actually exist, it’s like the worst regimes of the mid 20th century, be they in Russia or Germany.

“You literally become a non-person and you don’t anymore actually have a right to be entitled to a bank account.

“Now there is a possibility for a fintech company that I could find some means of receiving and paying money, which could be a little bit of a lifeline, but it’s not a bank account, because I won’t be able to earn any interest on positive cash balances.

“I won’t be able to borrow money – if I need to at any point- or take out a mortgage should I so desire, that will be completely denied to me, I won’t be to have a debit card linked directly to my account.

“I won’t really be able to exist and function in a modern 21st century Britain.”

He added: “I’m beginning to think that perhaps life in the United Kingdom is now becoming completely unlivable because of the levels of prejudice against me.”