Arron Banks is confronted with a puppet of Nigel Farage outside the BBC this morning Victoria Jones/PA WireArron Banks, the Leave donor under criminal investigation, has insisted that there was “no Russian money” in donations and loans channelled through his companies. Mr Banks claimed that all the £8 million given or loaned to Brexit campaign organisations during the 2016 referendum had been generated by UK limited companies. The Electoral Commission referred the donor to the National Crime Agency last Thursday saying it had grounds to believe that the businessman was not the true source of the cash. The watchdog also said the the loan arrangements may have involved an off-shore firm, Rock Holdings, contrary to electoral law. It emerged in June that Mr Banks had held three meetings with the Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko in 2015 and 2016, and discussed a potential…

Source: The Times November 04, 2018 12:00 UTC