Tories snub Ukip donor Banks

THE Conservatives have turned down an application from a controversial former Ukip donor to join the party.

There are concerns that the party is in danger of being heavily infiltrated by Brexit hardliners.

Arron Banks, who co-founded the proBrexit Leave.EU campaign group and was Ukip’s largest donor, announced on Twitter that he had joined the Tories.

The pro-Brexit group’s former communications director Andy Wigmore also said he was joining. The pair said they had received a confirmation email welcoming them.

But a party spokesman said their applications ‘have not been approved’.

Earlier this week Mr Banks called on supporters of Leave.EU to join the Conservatives so they can vote in the party’s next leadership election. Remain supporting Tory MPs such as Anna Soubry have warned that the Tories are at risk of entryism by supporters of a ‘hard Brexit’.

In June the insurance tycoon was questioned by MPs over alleged links with the Kremlin – but strolled out of the Commons hearing after three hours. He accused the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee of a botched attempt ‘to discredit the Brexit campaign’.

He joked: ‘I like to think I’m an evil genius with a white cat who controls all of democracy, but that’s not true.’

He insisted he never broke the law or worked with Russians. He met Russian embassy officials three times around the time of the referendum.