Last October it was announced that the insurance tycoon and former Tory donor would be giving £100,000 to Ukip. When William Hague reacted to the news by saying, “I’ve never heard of him,” Banks was so incensed that he upped his donation to £1m.
Now Banks is funding Leave.EU, one of two groups vying for the Electoral Commission’s designation as the official campaign for the Out side (its opposition is the cross-party group run by Matthew Elliott, above). Banks intends to focus heavily on the free movement of people if Leave.EU triumphs. “Immigration will be the number one [issue],” he has said. Given his close relationship with Nigel Farage, he will want the Ukip leader to be part of Leave.Eu.
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