Gina Miller crowdfunds £300,000 to unseat pro-Brexit MPs

Nearly 11,000 people have donated to Best for Britain, with several giving the maximum donation of £499

The woman behind the Supreme Court case that forced Theresa May to get parliamentary approval for triggering Article 50, has raised more £300,000 for her tactical voting campaign to unseat pro-Brexit MPs at the general election.

Gina Miller launched Best for Britain less than a fortnight ago and it has already received £324,000 in donations from nearly 11,000 people, with several giving the maximum donation of £499.

The investment manager said the money raised using the GoFundMe crowd funding website, would be given directly to candidates in marginal seats to help them unseat MPs who support hard Brexit.

She has previously said funding will be allocated to individual candidates based on data which takes account of how the constituency voted in the EU referendum and the 2015 electoral result.

The 52-year-old, who has called the 8 June election a “second referendum on Brexit”, has also said she will consider allocating some of the funds to a drive encouraging people to register to vote.

Ms Miller famously blocked the Government’s attempts to trigger Article 50 without parliamentary approval, after winning a Supreme Court challenge earlier this year.

She said: “We want to build the biggest tactical voting effort in UK history to ensure that candidates across the country that promise to do what’s best for Britain in the Brexit process get the extra support they need to win”.

She denounced the MPs who voted to approve the Article 50 bill without subjecting it to proper scrutiny.

On the Crowdfunding site, she said the campaign will “support parliamentary candidates who commit to keeping the options open for the British people” and “fight to make the Brexit deal process transparent, honest and democratic.”

Ms Miller said they had not had time to organise a “formal progressive alliance” so “we have to do what we can in the time available”.

“We need to re-energise people about the importance of voting tactically”, she added.

The Conservatives are said to be on course for a major victory over Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party – though recent polls suggest their lead is narrowing.

Anouncing the election earlier this month, Ms May said she had “reluctantly” come to the conclusion that the country must go to the polls because Westminster was too divided on Brexit.