BOB Seely has become the first MP to back GB News’ Don’t Kill Cash campaign, which saw over 50,000 people sign a petition in the first 24 hours.
More than 60,000 have now backed the People’s Channel to continue to fight to save the pound as Britain creeps towards becoming a cashless society, leaving behind vulnerable Britons who rely on cash.
Mr Seely told GB News: “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 flack? It’s the ATM machines to get cash out sometimes.
“But they’re 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.”
In a discussion with Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner, he continued: “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.
“But no, for sure, sign me up.”
Asked if the campaign would irritate the Prime Minister, Mr Seely said: “No, I don’t think so, sorry. I’m going to ask him, actually, next time I see him…I’ll see if I can sign him up.”
Mr 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.”
