This petition was rejected

The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:

Banks are already mandated to provide basic bank accounts.

These accounts are available to those who otherwise would not be eligible for an account – such as if someone has poor credit history. The rules are set out under the Payment Account Regulations 2015.

The Financial Conduct Authority states:

Basic bank accounts are offered by a number of banks and building societies in the UK. A list of those that are required by regulation to offer these accounts for free (apart from fees for using it abroad) can be found on the HM Treasury website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-compliance-with-the-eu-payment-accounts-directive/uk-compliance-with-the-eu-payment-accounts-directive.

Other banks may offer basic bank accounts, but they may not include all the features of those listed by the Treasury, or they may include charges.

Full information about access to basic bank accounts and eligibility requirements can be found on the Money Advice Service website: www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/basic-bank-accounts.

It is therefore not clear what else you would like the Government to do.