MP highlights gap in banking service

THE UK's largest banks have been accused of “abandoning” the high street by a Northumberland MP following a string of branch closures.

- JAMES ROBINSON

Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery launched a scathing attack on the closures at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday last week.

Labour's manifesto contained a pledge to open 350 banking hubs by 2029 in response to bank branch closures. Mr Lavery also called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to review the “almost bizarre” criteria needed for hubs around the size of a settlement and access to cash.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Lavery said: “Banks have been allowed to abandon our high streets, basically closing their branches with impunity. Between 1999 and 2025, my constituency alone lost banks in Guide Post, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Bedlington and Blyth.