UKIP donor Arron Banks’s Leave.EU campaign has taken another step towards getting the nod from the Electoral Commission to be the official anti-EU membership campaign for Britain’s forthcoming European Union (EU) referendum, as it secures the support of the left-wing Campaign Against Euro Federalism (CAEF).

CAEF was formed in 1991 in Liverpool, and is constituted of “democrats, socialists, trade unionists, students and pensioners and their organisations” marking a stark difference from the other anti-EU campaign, Vote Leave Take Control, run by Tax Payers’ Alliance founder Matthew Elliott. The latter group boasts just two noteworthy Labour officials in its ranks, and far from organising at a grassroots level, simply formed three Westminster-based groups and then merged them to give the impression of a cross-party campaign.

And CAEF’s website is quite clear about its political position, noting: “CAEF is totally opposed to the austertiy [sic] policies of the ConDem Government which stem directly from Brussels. A current objective of the Campaign is to draw attention to the EU factors and common EU policies behind these austerity policies being imposed in Britain as they are across the EU.”

Brian Denny CAEF board member commented on giving Leave.EU his backing: ” As a well-established Eurosceptic Labour movement organisation operating for nearly 30 years, the Campaign Against Euro Federalism is pleased to be joining Leave.EU.

“CAEF is pleased to join an organisation that seeks to represent people from all walks of life and defend national democracy which is clearly under threat from a corporate-dominated European Union that is accruing evermore powers at the expensive of member states.”

“No country can truly decide its own future democratically without the sovereign power to make its own laws and run its own economy in the interests of its citizens free from outside interference.”

Richard Tice and Arron Banks from Leave.EU welcomed the group to the fold, stating: “We are extremely pleased that CAEF have decided to help the Leave.EU cause and recognising that our campaign is about representing people from every background and all walks of life and political parties. The campaign to encourage people to vote to leave at the referendum needs organisations like CAEF if we are to succeed and we look forward to supporting them in promoting the cause to their supporters.”