Leave funder Banks ditches MPs for lunch
BREXIT donor Arron Banks walked out of an ill-tempered three hour grilling by MPs saying he was off to lunch.
The wealthy Leave.EU founder earlier admitted giving the Russians a phone number for the pre-election transition team of US President Donald Trump.
Mr Banks confirmed yesterday he had acted as a link between the Russian Ambassador and the US President’s aides. But he laughed off suggestions of a conspiracy over his meetings with Alexander Yakovenko.
During a hearing before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on “fake news” , Mr Banks told MPs: “I was hoping for a good lunch and that is what I did gain from it.”
He said Leave.EU had “briefed the American security services on everything that transpired”. Mr Banks and his spin doctor Andy Wigmore were grilled over the conduct of their campaign in the 2016 EU referendum.
But Mr Banks abruptly left the hearing, saying it had over-run and he had another appointment. He said: “Sorry I have to insist. I was told a certain time and we’ve got a lunch appointment we don’t want to be late for.”
Mr Wigmore added: “You can join us if you want. We’ll be in the House of Commons’ bar.”