Evgeny Lebedev, the media mogul who owns the Independent and the London Evening Standard, met with disgraced journalist turned right-wing activist Milo Yiannopoulos for lunch in London on Tuesday, BuzzFeed News has learned.

According to a source, Lebedev, who also owns TV channel London Live, has kept in regular contact with the cheerleader of the alt-right over recent years.

The meeting raises questions as to whether Lebedev is considering business opportunities with Yiannopoulos, who recently was exiled from US-based website Breitbart after an in-depth BuzzFeed News investigation exposing the ties between the British tech journalist, website chairman Steve Bannon, and the political alt-right.

Responding to a BuzzFeed News request for comment about the London meeting and whether business opportunities between the two men were discussed, Lebedev's spokesperson said the Russian socialite had no comment.

"Evgeny is a very unusual man, like Milo, so there are similarities for a start," said a source familiar with the meeting. "Lebedev has some sympathetic views to the right. He was at that Farage party."

Late last year, BuzzFeed News revealed Lebedev was among the press barons who gathered at London's Ritz hotel to celebrate UKIP MEP Nigel Farage's success during the Brexit campaign.