Barclays is to shut the bank accounts of British ex-pats amid a backlash from those affected. The move could reportedly leave some customers unable to access their savings or pensions.

The bank has announced that Brits living overseas will soon not able to hold a Barclays UK current or savings account, the Express reports. It comes after a review of the bank’s international offerings which it started in 2021.

Now it has written to those customers who will be affected to give them six months to act. One possible option for wealthy expats is reportedly to open a global account with the bank.

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Yet they would need to keep at least £100,000 in the account to avoid a monthly charge of £40. Barclays has defended the move and said UK products are designed for customers living in the UK.

Yet one furious customer Down Under told the Telegraph: “They seem absolutely determined to get rid of our account. We are concerned about the way Barclays is handling it. I couldn’t believe that we would get a cold call telling us we would be debanked.”

There are more than one million Britons currently living in Australia, data shows. The bank's decision follows a review of the bank’s international offerings that began in 2021.

A Barclays spokesman said: “We will no longer be offering personal current or savings accounts to retail customers with addresses registered with us outside of the United Kingdom, subject to limited exceptions. We are contacting impacted customers to give them advance notice of this decision and explain the next steps they need to take.”

A Financial Conduct Authority spokesman said: “Banks may set their own requirements on country of residence for account holders and must comply with local law and regulation when serving customers outside the UK. Whether or not banks decide to extend services to customers outside of the UK is a commercial decision for them, but we expect them to treat their customers fairly, comply with equalities legislation, and provide adequate notice to the customer if they decide to close their account.

“Customers who feel they have had their accounts closed unfairly have the right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.”