EU referendum: Top Vote Leave donor revealed to be former BNP member

Gladys Bramall has given £600,000 to Leave in recent weeks. She has reportedly confirmed she was a BNP member under Nick Griffin's leadership - but says her husband signed her up

The Leave campaign has been dogged by accusations of racism - but insists there are positive reasons to vote for Brexit (Getty)

One of the Leave campaign’s biggest individual donors is a former member of the far-right BNP, it has been reported.

Gladys Bramall, an 88-year-old woman from Birmingham, has made two cash donations to Vote Leave Limited of £500,000 and £100,000, making her the campaign’s third-largest financial backer, Electoral Commission filings show.

And Ms Bramall is also named on the database of then-members of the BNP that was published by WikiLeaks in November 2008, when Nick Griffin was still its leader.

The link was first reported by BuzzFeed News, and Ms Bramall told the website that she must have been signed up to the far-right group by her husband – who is also named on the leaked list.

She nonetheless confirmed her membership, saying: “My husband joined, he obviously enrolled me at the same time. It wasn’t with my knowledge.”

The BNP membership database was published three times before the party expelled Mr Griffin in 2014 for “trying to cause disunity by deliberately fabricating a state of crisis”.

The party, which campaigns on an anti-immigrant message and tried to restrict membership to “indigenous British” people until it was legally barred from doing so, received fewer than two thousands votes in total at the last general election.

Ms Bramall has donated twice to Vote Leave, £100,000 on 29 April and a further £500,000 on 9 May

Asked why she had donated £600,000 to support Leave, Ms Bramall told BuzzFeed News: “Just that I want to come out of Europe. I’m very anxious that we come out of Europe. I did what I could by giving money.”

The link will be embarrassing for the Vote Leave campaign, which has sought to distance itself from accusations of racism among its more extreme elements.

Michael Gove, the most senior politician in the mainstream of the campaign, said he “shuddered” to see a poster unveiled by Nigel Farage showing a line of refugees under the title “Breaking Point”.

Ms Bramall was not available to comment when contacted by The Independent.

Vote Leave has declined to comment on the link, but when asked about the donations during an LBC interview Mr Gove promised money from "tainted sources" would play no part in the campaign.

Asked whether he welcomed the donation, Mr Gove told LBC: "Absolutely not," adding that he was "not aware of that beforehand".

"I'd obviously like to investigate myself who this lady is and what the history behind it is," he said.

"But if this money comes from someone whose views are objectionable then of course we will do everything we can to make sure that money that comes from any tainted source is returned and plays no part in the campaign."

Conservative minister and Remain campaigner Sam Gyimah said the revelation was particularly worrying in the wake of the resignation of Vote Leave board member Arabella Arkwright for sharing anti-Muslim material on social media.

Mr Gyimah said: "It's extremely concerning that Vote Leave have received so much money from a former member of the BNP an abhorrent organisation.

"By accepting this money they risk associating themselves with these views, especially following the resignation of one of their board members after she re-tweeted far-right material. They must now return the donation immediately."

The EU referendum debate has so far been characterised by bias, distortion and exaggeration. So until 23 June we we’re running a series of question and answer features that explain the most important issues in a detailed, dispassionate way to help inform your decision.

What is Brexit and why are we having an EU referendum?

Does the UK need to take more control of its sovereignty?

Could the UK media swing the EU referendum one way or another?

Will the UK benefit from being released from EU laws?

Will we gain or lose rights by leaving the European Union?

Will Brexit mean that Europeans have to leave the UK?

Will leaving the EU lead to the break-up of the UK?

What will happen to immigration if there's Brexit?

Will Brexit make the UK more or less safe?

Will the UK benefit from being released from EU laws?

Will leaving the EU save taxpayers money and mean more money for the NHS?

What will Brexit mean for British tourists booking holidays in the EU?

Will Brexit help or damage the environment?

Will Brexit mean that Europeans have to leave the UK?

What will Brexit mean for British expats in Europe?