Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has become the 1st Member of Parliament to back GB News’ ‘Don’t Kill Cash’ Campaign and has said he will raise the issue with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
It comes not long after Seely welcomed an amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill which was meant to ensure that the financial regulator would have the legal power to preserve access to cash – free to consumers at the point of withdrawal or deposit – for those who need it.
However, according to their campaign, GB News says that there are ‘strong vested interests’ pushing for cash to be entirely replaced. The TV broadcaster has started a campaign calling on the Government to protect the status of cash as legal tender until at least 2050.
Speaking to GB News, Bob said:
“I actually met with one of the ATM companies a couple of weeks ago now to talk about about why they’re now having to begin to charge on the Isle of Wight. I said ‘look, that’s really bad’ and he said, ‘it’s because we’re not getting the appropriate rates off the banks.'”
“Yet again, you have these big firms, in this case the banks, that are shutting down branches all over the Isle of Wight and all over Britain and who’s taking up the flak? It’s the ATM machines now having to charge because the banks aren’t giving them a fair cut. But also more importantly, it’s the postmasters and postmistresses that are struggling, because they’re having to do the bank’s job.”
“A lot of folk on the Island still rely on cash. We probably have a larger cash economy than some of the parts of Britain and maybe places like London, where people tend to be more cashless.”
The campaign has already attracted more than 100,000 signatures at the time of writing and Seely is hoping to add PM Rishi Sunak to that number.
He said:
“I’m going to ask him, actually, next time I see him…I’ll see if I can sign him up.”
Explaining that he doesn’t tend to carry cash himself, Seely added:
“I actually try not to carry cash because I use this [phone] and my credit cards at the back to try to pay for stuff, so I’m very happy to live without cash. But I’m hugely respectful of the fact that a lot of people on the Island don’t, a lot of people around the UK, especially older folks, don’t.”
“So we need to think of them a bit more and that means that we have cash for another 10, 20, 30 years and all well and good. And if that time, slowly, people get used to it and become happy with a cashless society, that’s great. But we need that cash for folks on the Island, it is important so I’m very supportive.”
According to research conducted by LINK, there were just 78 free-to-use ATMs across the whole of the Isle of Wight in April.
You can watch the interview below:
‘Sign me up!’@IoWBobSeely backs GB News’ #DontKillCash campaign which highlighting the dangers of the UK’s emerging cashless society.https://t.co/YuaXPyC34d pic.twitter.com/8tvcOMeG4x
— GB News (@GBNEWS) July 4, 2023
Cash is King,long live cash.
I totally agree. You just can’t fill brown envelopes with virtual currency. Cash, when used in the right way, can be virtually untraceable. Access to cash must be preserved and what the taxman doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.
Remember when cash has gone, the Stonewall charity will control your money.
That makes no sense at all. Do you even know what Stonewall stands for?
I’ll have some of whatever he’s smoking.
Look! A bandwagon! All aboard!
“The next time I see him [Sunak]” – unless he sees me first.
A lot of shops are only accepting card payments due to the lack of bank’s to deposit cash in , and also getting change !!!!!
Totally understand the business owners ,who don’t want loads cash on the premises until they can travel to one of the odd bank’s on the island ….
And as for post offices we also lack in this area !!!!!!
I am surprised at that, because shops have to pay for each card transaction. (maybe this adds to their prices – and so also adds to inflation) It is a truly vicious circle!
Plenty of free ATM machines. There’s two in tiny East Cowes.
Any business not accepting cash will not get any of my hard earn money.
So that’s the Pearl Centre out for me.
THEY REFUSE TO ACCEPT CASH, THE FUNNY THING IS THEY HAVE A TIP BOX BY THE TILL
If cash is no longer, bills will increase for customers.
Cash needs to stay in our society.
I support all the business who accept Cash.
If cash disappears people will regret it sooner than later, believe me.
Bank Accounts can be stopped like they were in Canada when the truckers were
Protesting.
It is all about control.
Soon we will be living our life the persons living in China.
Not a good thought
Bandwagon Bob jumps on another bandwagon.
Considering Seely supported Truss against him, I’d imagine Skippy will be lucky if Sunak even looks at him.
Haven’t used cash in the last year, I refuse to be given it if I’m owed money. It’s an obligation when you have it. Don’t like it, don’t need it. Luckily the places that only take cash tend to be chippies and I can live without it.
You mean Stotesburys?
Wen in there a couple of years ago to get some fish and chips on the way home one evening. Came to pay “oh, we don’t accept cards”.
Went to the Carisbrooke Fish bar. Excellent fish and chips, paid for contactless.
Cash has had its day.
If someone takes your wallet full of cash, you have lost it and the thief can spend it secure in the knowledge that its untraceable.
If he steals your phone and, assuming he manages to unlock it (even the police need the owner’s co-operation to get into modern mobile phones), any attempt to use it to pay for something will be traced to the stolen device and linked to the CCTV in the shop.
Presumably you don’t donate to the Poppy Appeal then….
https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/donate
You can make a single or regular donation.
I donate £5 a month (£60 a year).
You?
Cash has to stay as there’s so many out there that can’t or won’t pay by card, don’t have internet etc, topic of conversation on jeramy vine show today.. Keep cash as how are you going to put money in a birthday card for a child…?
Cash is still legal tender.
Bob we have no cash, the Tories and IWC take and waste any money.. , So go and bark up another waste of time tree ..