Bethnal Green and Bow MP and Chair of the Save Remittance Giving Campaign, Rushanara Ali, has welcomed the judgment handed down by the High Court today. This judgement grants an interim injunction that will safeguard remittances being sent to millions of Somalis and Africans through the Money Transfer Operator (MTO) Dahabshiil based in Rushanara Ali’s constituency.

Rushanara said:

“I am very pleased to hear that many of my constituents can continue to send remittances to their family and friends across Africa through the services provided by Dahabshiil. This is a direct result of the judgment handed down by the High Court today and is a significant win for the campaign and all those who have worked tirelessly to save a vital lifeline to millions across the developing world. Once again, I pay tribute to the 122,000 people including Double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah who supported our petitions and provided their backing to our campaign.”

 The interim injunction granted by the High Court allows Dahabshiil to continue its banking arrangements with Barclays until the conclusion of a full trial. Many can now rest assured that they can continue to send money to their loved ones across Africa for the foreseeable future.  

“This is however a temporary reprieve and does not provide a solution for the long-term.  The UK government, Barclays Bank, and the regulatory and financial authorities need to use this time to address the problems this sector faces.  We need to work towards finding a solution that continues to provide legitimate and affordable ways of getting remittances into developing countries. Many MTOs across the UK have already had their accounts with Barclays closed and have struggled to get to grips as to why Barclays has taken this course of action against them without any form of investigation. It is now time for Barclays to provide answers as the trial gets under way.”