Nigel Farage traded barbs with Sophy Ridge after the Sky News host asked the Brexit Party leader to name the financial sponsor who donated £100,000 for his European election campaign. Mr Farage insisted the name of the supporter will be revealed in due time as he praised British voters for showing their support with nearly £2million to his bid to deliver Brexit. Ms Ridge said: “Who’s funding you?

“You’ve said in interviews previously you’ve received one big donation. Who’s that from?”

As Mr Farage refused to share the identity of his sponsor, the Sky News host tried again: “This is the new transparent politics, isn’t it? Why don’t you just tell me then?”

The Brexit Party leader hit back: “Oh, yes, I’m really going to tell you his name, aren’t I? Then you would all hound him. We’ll be declaring it at the end of July.

“I don’t see why one individual – I tell you what, if everyone else does, I will. But you know what will happen?

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“If I tell you the name of this person, you will hound him, all of you. You’ll be outside his house for the next three weeks, so no.

“Anyway, it’s irrelevant. It’s a small donation of £100,000. We’ve raised nearly £2million in £25 sums from individual backers.”

Despite having been officially launched less than a month ago, Mr Farage revealed the Brexit Party had already hit “85,000 registered supporters” three weeks before the European parliamentary elections of May 23. 

A YouGov survey of 1,630 people carried out for the Times between April 29-30 put Mr Farage’s party on 30 percent – up two points since last week – to Labour’s 21 percent (down one) and the Conservatives’ 13 percent (unchanged).

In an alarming sign for Theresa May, more than half of those who backed the Conservatives in the 2017 general election said they would back the Brexit Party in the European elections.

Voters also described Brexit as the most important issue facing the UK in the run-up to the elections, with more than twice as many voters mentioning it as health, crime or the economy.

Labour and the Conservatives are both licking their wounds after the Tories lost 1,335 council seats and Labour lost 82 instead of making the 400 plus gains expected.

A crunch meeting between the Conservatives and Labour will take place on Tuesday with the aim of ensuring a Brexit deal is finalised this week.

The meeting – described as “the big push” – will involve Mrs May’s deputy David Liddington, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, Business Secretary Greg Clark and chief whip Julian Smith.

On Labour’s side shadow chancellor John McDonnell, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey and shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman.

The plan is to bring in Mrs May and Jeremy Corbyn to finalise a deal which sources have confirmed will be based around a “customs arrangement”.

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