Row over ‘plot to thwart Brexit’ as George Soros gives £400k to campaign
Billionaire George Soros has handed £400,000 to a campaign arguing the UK should stay in the EU, prompting a row over claims he was at the centre of a “secret plot” to stop Brexit.
Mr Soros donated the money to the Best for Britain group through one of his foundations, which support groups around the world working for human rights, equality, education and freedom of the press.
However, the Hungarian investor’s work has angered governments including in his home country and Russia. Coverage of the donation in the Daily Telegraph prompted a storm of criticism after the newspaper repeated claims that Mr Soros was “interfering” in democracy.
The front-page article was written by a team including Theresa May’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy, who used his column in the newspaper to claim that Best for Britain wanted to bring down Mrs May’s government by lobbying MPS to oppose the final Brexit deal.
The newspaper also revealed that Mr Soros had met six Conservative donors last week.
Mr Timothy denied the Telegraph’s reporting played into anti-semitic conspiracy theories involving Mr Soros. Downing Street said anyone could take part in democratic debate, but insisted Brexit would not be reversed.
Best for Britain chairman Lord Malloch-brown said the group had followed rules governing financial contributions “to the letter”, adding: “We have never hidden our agenda”.
“George Soros’s foundations have, along with a number of other major donors, also made significant contributions to our work… but our small donors have collectively contributed more.”
The donation also sparked a row between Best for Britain and its former figurehead, campaigner Gina Miller, who said it was “self-interested” and “a room full of white males deciding what’s going to happen to the country”.
Mr Soros made a billion dollars betting against sterling on Black Wednesday in 1992, and has predicted the UK will rejoin the EU soon after Brexit.