Arron Banks and his Leave.EU colleague Andy Wigmore are due to give evidence before the digital, culture, media and sport select committee on Tuesday morning as part of its inquiry into fake news. But, before the Brexit-backing duo’s appearance, here are 10 questions Banks and Wigmore should answer.

1. ‘One boozy lunch’

Why did you say, repeatedly, on record that your contact with “the Russians” consisted of “one boozy lunch”? You now accept there were multiple contacts, meetings, invitations – extended both ways – and emails. You lied. Why?

2. The Russian ambassador

The Russian ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was named in the October 2017 indictment of George Papadopoulos in the Robert Mueller investigation as a channel between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. He was your main contact when you met the Russians between November 2015 and November 2016. What information did he want? What information did you give him?

3. Six gold mines

Yakovenko introduced you to Siman Povarenkin who laid out a deal worth billions of dollars: the opportunity to buy six gold mines and to merge them into one corporate entity, all funded by a Russian state bank. The deal went ahead 12 days after the European referendum. Did you invest? How much money did you make?

4. Russian influence and the EU referendum

In the week that Leave.EU launched its official campaign in November 2015, you met the Russian ambassador twice, once before and once after. It was at the second meeting that the business deal for the gold mines was pitched. It’s known that Russia buys influence not directly, but indirectly, across Europe with this sort of approach. Was Russia seeking to influence the outcome of the referendum result?

5. ‘The KGB’s man in London’

You use a pseudonym, “the KGB’s man in London”, to describe the diplomat Alexander Udod in your book, The Bad Boys of Brexit. You invited him and the Russian ambassador to watch the referendum results at a party at your headquarters. He accepted. Why did you wish to have “the KGB’s man in London” there? Did he attend?

6. Donald Trump and Steve Bannon

You met the Russian ambassador on the same day that Steve Bannon was made Donald Trump’s campaign manager and days before you travelled to Mississippi to meet them both. Did you pass on any information to Trump and Bannon?

7. Lord Ashcroft

Does Lord Ashcroft have a role in all of this? That meeting you had with him and Nigel Farage in Belize, can you explain? You said on Twitter you were visiting Bermuda in 2015 seeking donations. From whom?

8. Social media

Why do you re-tweet the Russian ambassador and Russian embassy? Have you ever communicated with them about coordinating your social media messaging?

9. Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage is the man who appears to be at the centre of so many strands in this – a friend of Bannon, an ally of Trump and the recipient of Robert Mercer’s largesse. Was he aware of your meetings with the Russian ambassador?



10. My email

Arron, did you lie last Friday? You said you hadn’t received my email when I sent you a list of questions to give you the chance to respond before publication. It turned out you did receive it and apparently gave the material to the Sunday Times.