{"id":20357,"date":"2025-07-14T01:17:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T01:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/?p=20357"},"modified":"2025-07-14T01:17:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T01:17:47","slug":"mps-slam-disrespectful-obstruction-by-chair-of-uk-financial-ombudsman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/?p=20357","title":{"rendered":"MPs slam \u2018disrespectful\u2019 obstruction by chair of UK financial ombudsman"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest at no cost<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__content-sign-up-topic-description o3-type-body-base\"><span>Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favorite tales on this weekly e-newsletter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"article__content-sign-up-iframe close\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"signUpIframe\" data-prev-url=\"\/register\/in-article-sign-up?ft-content-uuid=337798e9-acc4-424b-af02-dff594ddddde\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>MPs have accused the chair of the Monetary Ombudsman Service of \u201cdisrespectful\u201d behaviour, saying she tried to cease them discovering out that the physique\u2019s chief government was sacked after a \u201cmutual collapse in confidence\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The scathing findings by the Home of Commons Treasury choose committee add to a deepening disaster on the FOS. Its powers are set to be curbed by chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Mansion Home speech on Tuesday after it grew to become a lightning rod for Metropolis criticism of regulators.<\/p>\n<p>MPs have been annoyed by FOS chair Baroness Zahida Manzoor\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/5cfba457-6d09-446d-9129-f64841009bad\" data-trackable=\"link\">refusal at a February hearing to explain<\/a> why its chief government Abby Thomas left the ombudsman unexpectedly that month after lower than three years within the job, apart from repeating that it was \u201ca mutual settlement\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Manzoor continued to withstand answering the committee\u2019s questions after the listening to, demanding the MPs promise to maintain any solutions confidential and arguing that she couldn&#8217;t be compelled to offer data as a result of she was a member of the Home of Lords, the committee mentioned. <\/p>\n<p>The MPs mentioned on Monday that argument, whereas \u201cstrictly true\u201d, was \u201cpointless and disrespectful\u201d, including that friends taking management roles at public our bodies should settle for scrutiny from the Commons.<\/p>\n<p>Manzoor solely answered the MPs questions after they compelled the FOS to reveal key paperwork round Thomas\u2019s departure. These data confirmed she was dismissed by the board after \u201cbasic disagreements\u201d over technique, administration and operations led to a \u201ccollapse in confidence on each side\u201d, the committee mentioned.<\/p>\n<p>It didn&#8217;t publish the paperwork, however mentioned the collapse in confidence that led to the board firing Thomas \u201ccoated a broad vary of points and was not pushed by a single occasion or subject\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m afraid that the dealing with of this case by the senior management of the Monetary Ombudsman Service has been deeply disappointing,\u201d mentioned Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury choose committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hillier mentioned the failure of FOS administrators to frustrate the committee\u2019s inquiry \u201csends a transparent message to any organisation contemplating comparable motion in future\u201d that MPs will get solutions \u201cwhether or not senior officers try to dam them or not\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"n-content-image n-content-image--full\" data-component=\"image-set\"><picture><source media=\"(min-width: 700px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A71432a89-c850-4b30-9e55-922e0429976d?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=1 1x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A71432a89-c850-4b30-9e55-922e0429976d?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=2 2x\" width=\"1981\" height=\"1321\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 490px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A0313276a-a028-4364-b08b-da619b2ec8a6?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=1 1x,https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/ftcms%3A0313276a-a028-4364-b08b-da619b2ec8a6?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=490&amp;dpr=2 2x\" width=\"1305\" height=\"1305\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F71432a89-c850-4b30-9e55-922e0429976d.jpg?source=next-article&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;quality=highest&amp;width=700&amp;dpr=1\" alt=\"Former financial ombudsman chief Abby Thomas\" data-image-type=\"image\" width=\"1981\" height=\"1321\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"n-content-picture__caption o3-editorial-typography-caption\"><span>Abby Thomas left her job as chief government of the monetary ombudsman after lower than three years within the job<\/span><span> <!-- -->\u00a9 Charlie Bibby\/FT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Baroness Manzoor, who plans to step down as FOS chair firstly of August, mentioned: \u201cI&#8217;m dedicated to offering open and clear proof to the committee, however there are uncommon cases when that may be troublesome \u2014 significantly when it pertains to employment issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was beneath strain to take a much less consumer-friendly strategy, based on an individual accustomed to the matter, who mentioned the ombudsman\u2019s board was annoyed at her reluctance to start out charging claims-management firms for bringing instances \u2014 a step it has since taken.<\/p>\n<p>The upheaval underlines how the normally low-key physique \u2014 which offers with client complaints in opposition to the monetary sector \u2014 has come beneath scrutiny for its position within the multibillion-pound scandal over automobile loans, following claims by Metropolis companies that it was deterring traders within the UK.<\/p>\n<p>Metropolis minister Emma Reynolds mentioned final month that the ombudsman could be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/241ad986-0e5f-4d8a-945d-c856f1b4f4fc\" data-trackable=\"link\">overhauled<\/a> to cease it performing like \u201ca quasi-regulator\u201d. This opened the door to the potential introduction of a brand new attraction course of for firms to problem its choices if they&#8217;re seen as contradicting the principles set by the Monetary Conduct Authority, the principle watchdog.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Monetary Ombudsman Service performs a significant position in sustaining client confidence, however it&#8217;s clear that the best way complaints are at the moment assessed can sometimes create uncertainty for companies, particularly the place choices depart from present and established FCA guidelines and steerage,\u201d mentioned Simon Harrington, head of public affairs on the Private Funding Administration and Monetary Recommendation Affiliation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/337798e9-acc4-424b-af02-dff594ddddde\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest at no cost Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favorite tales on this weekly e-newsletter. MPs have accused the chair of the Monetary Ombudsman Service of \u201cdisrespectful\u201d behaviour, saying she tried to cease them discovering out that the physique\u2019s chief government was sacked after a \u201cmutual collapse in confidence\u201d. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1932,13690,789,293,13691,11374,9272],"class_list":["post-20357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-chair","tag-disrespectful","tag-financial","tag-mps","tag-obstruction","tag-ombudsman","tag-slam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20358,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20357\/revisions\/20358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thisbiginfluence.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}