Nigel Farage was warned he has "48 hours to save Brexit" as a major donor to the Brexit Party urged him to stand down another 150 candidates in Conservative target seats.

Arron Banks told the Telegraph that the Brexit Party leader had to "smash Labour in 40 or so seats where the Tories are nowhere".

It came as George Farmer, who gave £100,000 to the Brexit Party in May and June, urged Mr Farage to stand down half of the 300 Brexit Party candidates he plans to stand.

However Mr Farage reacted defiantly, saying: "I put country before party yesterday and now will take the fight to Labour. Three hundred nominations have been signed off — time to get on the road!"

On Tuesday the Conservatives rebuffed requests by intermediaries acting on behalf of Mr Farage to swap weaker Tory candidates into seats that the party has a realistic chance of winning.