Gina Miller denies links with billionaire George Soros and Best for Britain campaign
Campaigner and activist Gina Miller, who successfully brought a legal claim to put the triggering of Brexit before parliament, has denied speculation that she is being funded by billionaire hedge fund veteran George Soros.
Her knock-back of claims that Soros may be the deep pockets behind her recent campaigns came as reports emerged today that the billionaire had donated £400,000 to the anti-Brexit group Best for Britain.
Miller was a founder of Best for Britain, but today said she had left the group after she and the team “executed a highly successful tactical voting campaign and youth and female voter engagement initiatives”.
Read more: Brexit campaigner Gina Miller launches “Best for Britain” tactical voting campaign
“Contrary to misleading media reports published earlier today, I have absolutely no relationship with, or involvement in the work of, Best for Britain,” she said in a statement.
One of the greatest failures, and sadnesses, of the whole Brexit era has been the lack of transparency about key players’ motivations, agendas and activities and incompleteness of information that is placed in the public domain.
“I encourage Best for Britain, and all those keen to play their part in the Brexit debate, to be open and honest about what they stand for, whom they represent and by whom they are funded.”
Separately, Miller told City A.M. that claims that Soros was funding some of her recent work were “ridiculous”, and that she relies entirely on her own funds and the pro bono work of other professionals.
Read more: Davos 2018: George Soros blasts social media tech giants, accusing them of ‘deliberately engineering addiction’, and denounces bitcoin
Miller is currently battling the government over a £1bn payment it promised to Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), when the Conservatives lost their majority in last year’s General Election. Miller contends that under the UK’s constitution, such an exceptional payment should have been put before parliament – and has told City A.M. that she is prepared to take the case to a judicial review.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is also in Miller’s crosshairs over its role in the implementation of major new market regulations.
Miller is soon to present the FCA with a dossier of instances where the recently introduced second Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid II) has been contravened by investment firms, which are not complying with fee transparency rules, and has said she will pursue legal action against the regulator if it does not outline more prescriptively what firms must do.
Read more: Gina Miller is planning to sue the FCA over its lenient approach to new regulation