It’s mad to think I plotted an African coup

The ludicrous smear campaign against me aims to undermine the people’s decision to leave the EU

For many people in Britain, life is divided into two chapters: pre-brexit and post-brexit. The result of the EU referendum has had such an extraordinary impact that it’s no exaggeration to say its effects have been felt by everybody. I am confident, however, that what’s been going on in my world since June 23 2016 has been more unusual – and more extreme – than anything experienced by others.

Before the UK voted to quit the EU, I was a private citizen. Now, I am a hate figure for anti-brexiteers, who seem hell-bent on causing maximum disruption to every area of my life. The reason is simple. My longstanding opposition to the EU convinced me to provide funding of £9 million for Leave.eu, one of the main groups which campaigned for Brexit. This is the largest financial contribution made by an individual to any British political campaign. That makes me a target.

I have been subjected to an avalanche of smears and false allegations which have become increasingly complicated and surreal. It is obvious to me that these attacks have been made in order to destabilise the result. What the disruptors desire is equally clear: to overturn Brexit.

Seemingly, these anti-democrats will stop at nothing. Let’s start with HMRC. Despite having paid millions of pounds in tax during 25 years in business, I have been the subject of six HMRC investigations since June 2016. Given that I never had my financial affairs queried before Brexit, I can only conclude there is a link between my anti-eu stance and the motivations of these public servants.

Then there is the Electoral Commission, which devoted considerable time and public money to exploring absurd accusations that Leave.eu was in effect controlled by Russia. This grand conspiracy melted away into nothing, until it was turned into an investigation relating to the technical allegation that Leave.eu broke spending limits by £75,000. I still maintain that this was a trumped-up charge, incidentally. For this reason, I am taking it to court.

Perhaps the most bizarre allegations have come from the media. Over the past week, BBC News and Channel 4 News have claimed falsely that I sought financial assistance from Russia to prop up interests which I have in diamond mines in the African kingdom of Lesotho. They claimed – again falsely – that I bribed a politician in Lesotho to obtain a mining licence. These untrue allegations come from an affidavit made by a former business partner who is the subject of a criminal investigation by the authorities in South Africa.

From this affidavit comes the wackiest assertion to date. Last night, Channel 4 News told viewers that I attempted to mastermind the overthrow of the state of Lesotho to take control of its diamond mines. The programme sought a response from me prior to this lie being broadcast which I am happy to repeat here: “Having reflected on the ludicrous allegations made about me by Channel 4 News over the past seven days, I have genuine concerns about the sanity and mental health of the editorial team responsible for the reports which the programme has broadcast. I shall be alerting both the board of Channel 4 and ITN to my concerns.”

I mean every word. I believe the editor of the overtly Left-wing, anti-brexit Channel 4 News has become so obsessed with his own agenda that he has lost sight of what democracy means. He has also abandoned the one thing that no respectable news organisation can exist without: the truth. I have heard it said that some journalists on Channel 4 News are deeply unhappy with its Left-wing stance. This would not be a surprise. But then again, in post-brexit Britain, a sort of collective madness has taken hold. And the upshot is that certain journalists pump out their own preoccupations, and all for the same purpose: to try to derail Brexit.

I have no regrets about backing Brexit. What I do regret is the establishment’s efforts to undermine the will of 17.4 million people. Theresa May has handed control of Brexit to unelected civil servants. We should all be deeply worried about this. As for Channel 4 News’s claims, the idea that anyone could start a military coup against tanks, helicopters and an army of men, equipped with a few Walther PPK 9mms and repeat action shotguns, stretches the idea to destruction.