Brexiteer 'met Russian officials before referendum vote'

Arron Banks had undisclosed meetings with officials from the Russian embassy in the lead-up to the Brexit referendum, reports allege.

The millionaire Brexit campaigner also held discussions about a business deal involving six Russian goldmines, according to reports.

The news is likely to raise questions over possible Russian influence in the UK's vote to leave the European Union.

The Sunday Times said it had seen emails from Mr Banks, founder of Leave.EU, and the organisation's communications chief Andy Wigmore.

These showed they had repeated contacts with Russian officials during the referendum campaign and afterwards, the newspaper said.

Mr Banks, who financially supported the campaign of former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, was introduced to ambassador Alexander Yakovenko by a suspected Russian intelligence officer, it was alleged.

They were also said to have met Alexander Udod, one of 23 suspected Russian intelligence officers ejected from the UK after the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.

The emails were given to The Sunday Times by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, Mr Banks's ghostwriter on The Bad Boys of Brexit.

She came forward after her email accounts were hacked, according to the newspaper.

Ms Oakeshott wrote in the newspaper that Mr Banks and Mr Wigmore were "shamelessly used by the Russians".

She added: "Perhaps, the Englishmen did not mind.

"Banks and Wigmore genuinely sympathised - and continue to sympathise - with some of Putin's political views."

Mr Banks dismissed the claims, telling the newspaper: "I had two boozy lunches with the Russian ambassador and another cup of tea with him. Bite me.

"It's a convenient political witch-hunt, both over Brexit and Trump."

He said that nothing had come of their discussions over the goldmine deal. "We didn't profit from any business deals because I never pursued anything," he said.

Mr Banks, whose wife is Russian, acknowledged making a "family trip" to Moscow in February 2016, but said "no meetings were had with anyone".

He said he had also disclosed details of his contacts with the Russians to US officials.

"We actually saw the suits from the American embassy who introduced us to the State Department to explain what had happened and then we briefed the Americans on our meetings with the Russians," he said.

Mr Wigmore told the paper: "We never offered any information to him (Mr Yakovenko) or any Russian any details of our (Brexit) campaign."

Mr Banks, who last week announced he was pulling out of the Commons inquiry into "fake news", accusing the MPs of a "witch hunt", said he would now be giving evidence to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee as planned on Tuesday.