Why I quit Barclays: Marcus Agius in his own words Marcus Agius, the chairman of Barclays, has resigned over the interest rate rigging scandal at the bank, saying as ultimate guardian of the bank's reputation "the buck stops with me." After consulting with two to three close personal friends on Saturday, he took the decision that evening and informed his board colleagues on Sunday, a move it is understood they were not expecting. A board meeting was convened on Sunday evening, having sat on Friday evening also. Despite having seen his spotless career in banking suddenly arrive at an awkward juncture, Agius remains squarely behind Bob Diamond, the bank's chief executive who last week gave up any bonus for this year in a bid to take some of the heat out of the scandal - a tactic which failed. Agius's resignation and apology was the next step in trying to stem the tide of criticism which has engulfed the lender Bob's position first of all is he's not culpable of anything. The board is clear he's the man to run the bank and that's what shareholders think too. On a personal level, Agius is obviously upset and uncomfortable with the need to resign. He is not one to seek out the spotlight but he is acutely aware that being the very public face of Barclay's contrition is part and parcel of being chairman. It is a sad day. It's not what I planned but you can't expect to have an important job and not also take responsibility. You have to take the good bits and the bad bits. That said, Agius hopes he will recover from the resignation and that his career is not over. I would like to do other things in the future. I have got fuel left in the tank.