Nigel Farage issues warning as GB News presenters take Don't Kill Cash campaign to Downing Street

Farage, who is campaigning to protect people from being debanked, said: "The banks are relentlessly driving us towards a cashless society.

"Keeping cash as legal tender is vital because a cashless UK would be the first step to a fully digitised economy with control over our spending and a huge potential loss of freedom."

Tomorrow, Farage will be joined by his fellow GB News stars Bev Turner, Michelle Dewberry, Patrick Christys, and Economics and Business Editor Liam Halligan, to deliver a letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on behalf of over 270,000 viewers and listeners who have joined the channel’s Don’t Kill Cash campaign.

The letter calls for laws to protect the status of cash as legal tender and as a widely accepted means of payment in the UK until at least 2050.

GB News will also inflate a giant piggy bank against the backdrop of Parliament, to bring attention to the message.

Viewers and listeners have rushed to sign an online petition at gbnews.com/cash after the channel’s campaign launched on The Patrick Christys show last month. Within just days, it became one of the fastest-growing news media campaigns ever known in this country.

It came after many had contacted the channel to pass on their concerns that the speed of moving towards a cashless society would have a damaging effect on millions of people.

Farage’s call-to-arms was echoed by fellow channel stars.

DON'T KILL CASH:

• Taxi driver fears card payment charges will soar as 90 per cent of his fares are by card
• British seaside industry facing £100,000 cost for machines that accept cards could collapse
• Cashless carparks VICTORY! Council poised for U-turn over policy as fears grow elderly being excluded

"Britain is fast becoming a cashless society,” said Liam Halligan, GB News’ Economic and Business Editor.

"This suits the banks and many large retailers just fine. But the reality is that millions of poorer and vulnerable people in the UK, particularly the elderly, don't have a bank account or a smartphone - and rely on cash every day.

"That's why cash should always be legal tender, everywhere - so no-one is excluded."

Patrick Christys said: "Over recent weeks more than a quarter of a million people have made it crystal clear they don’t want to live in a cashless society.

"The message has been overwhelming - don’t kill cash. The Government must listen. And they must act."

Bev Turner added: "Cash is a vital symbol of freedom. If we lose the power to transact privately we can be forever tracked and assessed by Government or private corporations. I don't want my children to live in a surveillance state."

Michelle Dewberry said: “I don’t want people excluded from society, and moving towards a cashless society does just that. I also think it's anti-democratic to refuse to accept the legal tender of our great country. It should be illegal to refuse to take it. We need to fight to prevent cash from being taken away.”

GB News’ crusade comes as increasing numbers of shops, cafes and pubs are choosing to only accept card payments.

And with the rise of Apple and Google Pay, vulnerable people, particularly the elderly, who rely on cash, are increasingly being left behind by the relentless march of technology.

More than five million adults still rely on cash in the UK and it’s used in six billion transactions every year.

GB News has given voice to individuals, businesses and charities throughout the campaign, airing their concerns about the need to keep the right to use the pounds and pennies in our pockets for decades to come.

It’s been backed by MPs from across the spectrum and even union boss Mick Lynch.

Farage’s recent experience with being debanked by Coutts has highlighted just how important it is for people to be able to access cash and keep financial independence.

The number of people signing the petition currently stands at more than 275,000.

GB News Editorial Director Michael Booker said: “We are the People’s Channel and when we hear concerns from our viewers and listeners we listen and, more importantly, we act.

“There has been an overwhelming response to this campaign, and we need the government to take notice. Cash is King, and the nation wants it to stay that way.”