Crispin Odey, pictured with his wife, Nichola Pease, gave £10,000 to Johnson in June

Boris Johnson’s pro-Brexit backer Crispin Odey has made a £300m bet against British businesses and stands to make huge profits from the woes of the UK economy.

The firm owned by the multimillionaire hedge fund tycoon, who made millions betting against the pound after the 2016 referendum, has taken out £299m in “short” positions on some of Britain’s biggest firms.

His apparent lack of confidence in flagship British groups, including Royal Mail and the shopping centre owner Intu, implies that he expects their share prices to fall as the pound continues to tumble.

According to fresh data obtained by IHS Markit and Short Tracker, Odey Asset Management has “short” positions on 16 UK listed firms — and has increased its “short” position on six of