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Nigel Farage has launched a Brexit lobbying group which can spend unlimited amounts of money pushing pro-Brexit messages while keeping the names of their donors secret.

The Brexit Party leader launched World4Brexit, which is registered in Michigan for tax purposes, during a visit to New York this week.

The launch event was attended by a gaggle of Republican operatives and Trump allies, including former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, according to the Financial Times.

And Trump's far-right former advisor Steve Bannon is expected to give "informal advice" to the campaign group.

The group is registered as a ‘501(c)(4)’ group - a not-for-profit group which can accept donations of up to $5,000 and keep the names of donors secret.

Speaking before the event, Farage told the FT all money raised by the group would be “above the board and legal”.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

And he said the group, which is in its “start up” phase had been set up on the US side by American strategist Gerry Gunster.

Gunster was instrumental in the formation of UK pro-Brexit pressure group Leave.EU, fronted by Farage and insurance magnate Arron Banks.

Last year, Leave.EU were fined by the Electoral Commission for failing to properly declare payments to Gunster’s firm, Goddard Gunster.

The week after the referendum, Banks bragged to the Guardian that Gunster’s firm had convinced the Brexiteers to abandon facts in order to win the vote.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images) (Image: X00514)

He said: “What [Goddard Gunster] said early on was ‘Facts don’t work’ and that’s it.

“The Remain campaign featured fact, fact, fact, fact, fact. It just doesn’t work.

“You have got to connect with people emotionally. It’s the Trump success.”

Fundraising documents distributed at the event are reported to have claimed philanthropist George Soros had “dropped tens of millions of dollars on the “remain” side of this issue..[so] there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to support the effort to fulfil the peoples’ vote.”

This is untrue. Soros’ funding for anti-Brexit causes in the UK are a matter of public record, and have amounted to £800,000 in total to campaign group Best for Britain.

World for Brexit’s website includes three articles attacking both Best for Britain and Soros.

(Image: Getty Images)

So-called "C4" organisations can spend unlimited amounts of cash on campaigns to "promote social welfare" - and keep the names of their donors secret.

US tax rules state they "may engage in some political activities, so long as that is not its primary activity” - though for their purposes "political activities" generally refers to involvement in US elections and ballot measure campaigns.

Political lobbying groups are more heavily regulated in the UK, and are required to declare donors and spending in the run-up to elections and referendums.

A disclaimer published on the group’s website says the group has been set up to “operate exclusively for the promotion of civic action and social welfare by promoting the awareness of the impact of the departure of United Kingdom from European Union.”

And a statement document also hosted on the group’s website lists some of the ways the anonymous donations will be spent:

Opinion and message research

Media and press relations

Offices in London, Washington and Brussels

Staff and admin during 2019 (intention is to be self-supporting via ongoing fundraising)

Lobbying and influence in the U.K. and elsewhere

Legal counsel advice to ensure our reputation for integrity

Ongoing U.S. fundraising and support

Support for development of further links and offices around the world

Global events with high-profile international speakers

Social media and advertising

Economic/social studies

The fundraising literature reportedly read; "We have donors from all across the United States and across the globe”.

And it noted that “all our money [raised] will follow the letter of the law in the eyes of the IRS [Internal Revenue Service - America's tax authoritiy].