Deadline to sell off UK government’s NatWest shares extended to 2025

Recent banking turmoil fuels decision to delay offloading portions of its remaining 41% stake

A plan to whittle down the government’s stake in NatWest has been extended by another two years, after weeks of banking turmoil that hit the lender’s shares and temporarily fuelled fears over a fresh financial crisis.

UK Government Investments (UKGI), which manages the shares on behalf of the Treasury, said the scheme to strategically sell portions of the British taxpayer’s shareholding – following NatWest’s near-£46bn state bailout in 2008 – would now run until August 2025.