Arron Banks refuses to seem sooner than Commons committee 
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Depart.EU founder Arron Banks has accused MPs of a "witch hunt" in opposition to pro-Brexit teams after pulling out of a scheduled Commons listening to subsequent week.
Mr Banks were because of give proof to the Commons tradition committee's inquiry into faux information on Tuesday.
However he urged it used to be biased because it had no Depart-voting MPs and had no longer known as Stay teams for wondering.
It follows a row over Vote Depart director Dominic Cummings' refusal to seem sooner than the similar committee.
The Commons voted on Thursday to censure Mr Cummings and to require him to seem sooner than 20 June.
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In a letter to Damian Collins, the Tory MP who chairs the committee, Mr Banks accused the committee of operating with the Electoral Fee and Data Commissioner to focus on Depart-supporting teams.
He urged the committee had "colluded" with activist workforce Honest Vote Challenge, which has introduced a felony motion in the USA in opposition to two companies managed by way of Mr Banks, claiming they'd improperly transferred non-public knowledge as a part of a tie-up with the College of Mississippi.
The case stems from the furore over the alleged harvesting of private Fb knowledge by way of Cambridge Analytica and whether or not it used to be used to steer the result of the USA presidential election and Brexit referendum.
Mr Banks, who denies the allegations, stated claims made by way of former Cambridge Analytica (CA) director Brittany Kaiser to the committee were cited in the USA lawsuit.
'No witnesses'
Ms Kaiser informed MPs in April that knowledge misuse used to be "rife" a few of the Mr Banks-controlled Eldon Insurance coverage and Large Information Dolphins companies, that Mr Banks requested Cambridge Analytica for a joint technique for Eldon Insurance coverage, Depart.EU and UKIP and that Cambridge Analytica "took receipt" of UKIP's club knowledge as a part of this.
Depart.EU rejects Ms Kaiser's statements and CA, which is being investigated by way of the Data Commissioner, stated it hasn't ever gained knowledge from any Banks corporate.
Mr Banks stated the cross-party committee had "actively supported" the Honest Vote Challenge in the course of the "early free up" of written proof from Ms Kaiser sooner than her look.
Mr Banks stated he can be complaining to the parliamentary government and he and fellow Depart.EU director Andy Wigmore would no longer seem sooner than the committee till the subject were settled.
"It's completely transparent that the committee, which incorporates simplest of Stay supporting MPs, is engaging in a co-ordinated 'witch hunt' of Depart teams, involving the Electoral Fee and the Data Commissioner," he stated.
"You will have known as no witnesses from the Stay marketing campaign or related teams."
'Looking for solutions'
In reaction, Mr Collins stated that it used to be no longer simply the committee that had questions for Mr Banks and that it might proceed to "practice the proof".
And the Honest Vote Challenge stated its US courtroom motion similar only to securing key paperwork and must no longer save you Mr Banks from showing sooner than MPs.
"The courtroom in Mississippi, the committee, the ICO and the Electoral Fee are all in search of solutions to legit questions," stated its director Kyle Taylor.
"We imagine Mr Banks and Mr Wigmore may give them."
Mr Banks has additionally stated Depart.EU would attraction in opposition to a £70,000 wonderful from the Electoral Fee for breaches of election regulation within the Brexit referendum.
The Electoral Fee stated the gang - which used to be become independent from the legitimate pro-Brexit workforce Vote Depart - didn't document "a minimum of" £77,380 it spent.
Original ArticlePolitics
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