Soros ‘ proud’ of donating £ 400K to stop Brexit

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London, Feb. 11: The Hungarian- American billionaire George Soros has said he is proud to have given £ 400,000 to an antiBrexit campaign, saying it was his affection for the UK that prompted his decision.

Mr Soros, a former refugee from communist Hungary who made $ 1bn (£ 720m) as a currency speculator betting against sterling on Black Wednesday, said that leaving the EU was a tragic mistake which would weaken Britain.

The investor has come under sustained attack since details of his donations to Best for Britain were revealed last week.

Mr Soros, who has given much of his personal fortune to his human rights organisation, the Open Society Foundations ( OSF), said he had received “toxic personal criticism”. Some have said the language echoes the antisemitic attacks against him made by some governments, such as Hungary and Russia. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said that Best for Britain had his wholehearted support and that he had made no secret of his opposition to Brexit.

“This process will change Britain and Europe from friends into foes, at least during the transitional period,” he said. “Before the referendum Britain was doing better economically than the rest of Europe. But this has now been reversed, with continental economies powering ahead while Britain lags behind.”

Soros said he believed it was crucial to attempt to change people’s minds about leaving the EU. Referendum votes often saw one side “egged on by unscrupulous agitators” he said, adding that “people use them to express their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs rather than contemplating the consequences”.

The 87- year- old said he was also concerned about the divisions between rich and poor over Brexit. “Old voters have overruled young voters who will have to live with the consequences of Brexit for decades ahead. This is aggravating the disillusionment with democracy among young people,” he said.