A Tory party donor has switched to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party because of the Prime Minister’s failure to take the UK out of the EU on time.
Jeremy Hosking, a shareholder in Crystal Palace football club, gave £100,000 to the Tories in the 2015 general election and £1.7m to the largely Conservative- backed Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum.
Mr Hosking, who offered financial backing to 140 pro- Brexit Tory MPs at the last general election, is the first major donor to the Brexit Party to be named.
The multi-millionaire city financier is one of a number of Tory donors unhappy with the party’s leadership.
A spokesperson said: “Jeremy Hosking has contributed to the Brexit party but, for the moment, has nothing further to add.”
It came as the PM was facing a backlash over European election leaflets which include a link to a website that names and shames MPs who voted against Theresa May ’s withdrawal deal.
The communication does not promise an independent trade deal after Brexit - a sign critics fear the PM is willing to compromise on a customs deal in cross-party talks with Labour .
What do EU election manifestos say about Brexit? All main party policies compared
The leaflet is being sent out by freepost rather than delivered by activists - many of whom are so angry at Mrs May that they are refusing to help.
Nigel Farage insists a win for his Brexit Party which is currently polling 32% - ahead of Labour on 21% and the Tories on 12% - would put “ No Deal Brexit back on the table” as his new party
He said: “Parliament has taken it off the table. Our voters say ‘put it back on the table’ and, if we win, we will demand representation, with the Government, at the next stage of negotiations.
“We have deadline now of October 31 and we want to make sure, our voters want to make sure, that, actually, No Deal is being seriously thought-about.”
Meanwhile leading Tory leadership hopeful Sajid Javid has delivered a fresh warning to Tory Brexiteers that they could lose Brexit altogether unless they back Theresa May’s deal.
Speaking on Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Mr Javid said: “I want us to leave with an orderly deal.
“What actually worries me the most is that if we get to the end of October, there are people in Parliament that if they think they need to stop no deal, they might even try to revoke [ Article 50 ].
“That is what worries me the most – that we could lose Brexit altogether.”
