May 2026 – Nationwide Building Society has confirmed that it remains as unmutual as ever. The board has rejected any hopes that James Sherwin-Smith may have held that they would recommend him as a candidate for board membership and will ensure that every effort is made to be as awkward, unhelpful and as difficult as possible in order to oppose him including using the infamous, biased, undemocratic anti-mutual “Quick Vote”.
The Building Society Act states that, given certain conditions, a member can stand as a board member candidate. The Nationwide advertises the same thing on its website. But the Nationwide is vigorously opposed to both the Act and its own advertising.
Last year in an attempt to communicate with members of the society James applied to the FCA for access to the register of members of the society. A secret meeting was held at the FCA headquarters with James and the Nationwide. It was held in secret at the request of the Nationwide and the request was upheld by the FCA. Nationwide is a member of the FCA, James (and any other individual) is not. Hence the bias.
James is a very strong candidate as a member representative and he now has the impossible task of making sufficient members aware of his candidacy and gaining sufficient support from millions of members.
The AGM notification and ballot forms will start arriving on 8th June.
Do not use the Quick Vote.
Vote FOR James SHERWIN-SMITH.
Vote AGAINST all other candidates.