The chief executive of the banking group that owns Coutts has apologised to Nigel Farage for “deeply inappropriate” comments about him after his account was closed.

Natwest boss Alison Rose said the comments did not reflect its view.

Former leader of the UK Independence Party Mr Farage had said that Coutts had targeted him because of his political views.

However, the bank had said the account closure was a commercial decision.

It comes as the government said they will make it harder for banks to close accounts and easier for customers to challenge the decision.

Banks will be forced to explain and delay any decision to close an account under the new rules, the Treasury said.

Customers will also be able to challenge account closures more easily, it added.

Under the new rules, banks will have to give a notice period of 90 days before closing an account, giving account holders more time to appeal against the decision.

They will also have to spell out why they want to close an account, making it easier for customers to challenge closures.

The new rules are likely to be brought in after the summer, the BBC understands.

Ministers had been considering putting extra conditions on banking licences after the dispute between Mr Farage and Coutts.

However, the Treasury said it had already been investigating account closures after PayPal temporarily suspended some accounts last year.