LEADING Brexiteer Arron Banks walked out of a fiery clash with MPs to have lunch with DUP MPs, after admitting he “led people up the garden path” during the referendum campaign.
Attending a committee hearing as part of an investigation into so-called "fake news", Leave.EU founder Banks and communications chief Andy Wigmore were being grilled over the conduct of their 2016 referendum campaign.
Saying that the MPs had overrun a deadline of 20 minutes, Banks stood up to leave, refusing requests from chair Damian Collins to stay for five more minutes.
Instead, Banks and Wigmore left to have lunch with DUP MPs Ian Paisley JR and Sammy Wilson.
https://t.co/OtwHiulEeE pair @Arron_banks and @andywigmore walk out of their appearance at the @CommonsCMS, saying they don't want to be late for lunch with DUP's @ianpaisleymp and @eastantrimmp in the House of Commons bar. pic.twitter.com/izFVHgnWii
— Iain McDowell (@IainKMcD) June 12, 2018
Paisley tweeted: "Great to catch up on a busy day with @Arron_banks and Andy Wigmore to discuss Brexit and beyond over an entertaining lunch. Interesting to note no Caviar or vodka"
It came after Banks had admitted Leave.EU used “alternative methods” to influence the Brexit vote.
In a robust and sometimes confrontational display at the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing, the pair admitted using spin and exaggeration.
But they criticised the evidence given by Cambridge Analytica whistleblowers including Brittany Kaiser and Chris Wylie, saying they were “Walter Mitty-type characters” and “not particularly credible witnesses”.
Banks confirmed Leave.EU had lodged an appeal against an Electoral Commission finding that the organisation breached spending rule.
He also confirmed it had held talks with controversial data firm Cambridge Analytica and intended to use its services if it had been selected as the official Leave campaign, which it wasn’t.
Banks said: “We were not above using alternative methods to punch home our message or lead people up the garden path if we had to.”
He and Wigmore questioned Collins’ right to chair the hearing, accusing the Tory of accepting “hospitality from Putin’s number one man in the UK” after reports the MP received tickets worth £1000 to watch Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea.
The pair played down claims about their own alleged links with Russian officials and businesses.
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