Arron Banks
| Arron Banks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 March 1966 |
| Education | Crookham Court Manor School The Castle School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Ekaterina Paderina |
| Children | 5 |
Arron Fraser Andrew Banks (born 22 March 1966) is a British businessman and political donor. He is the co-founder (with Richard Tice) of the Leave.EU campaign.[1] A former Conservative Party donor, he came to prominence in October 2014 when he donated £1 million to the UK Independence Party.[2]
Personal life
Banks was educated at Crookham Court Manor School (since closed) in Berkshire until he was expelled.[3] He also attended The Castle School in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire.[citation needed]
He is a father of five and married to Russian "aspiring model" Ekaterina Paderina,[3] who reportedly previously received help to stay in the UK from the MP Mike Hancock.[4] The couple are separated. The Bristol Post reported that the police had issued Banks with a harassment notice in 2012.[5]
Banks lives in a mansion near Thornbury, north of Bristol, which was previously occupied by musician Mike Oldfield.[3][6]
Business career
Banks is currently[when?] the Chief Executive of Southern Rock Insurance Company, which underwrites insurance policies for the website GoSkippy.com which was founded by Banks.[7][8] He previously co-founded Brightside Group in 2005, and served as its CEO from June 2011 to June 2012 at which time the company was listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM).[9] After Banks' departure, Brightside took legal action against him, alleging he used confidential information in setting up GoSkippy.com six months later. There were also legal actions between Southern Rock and Brightside.[3][10]
He previously served as CEO of AIM listed Manx Financial Group from April 2008 to February 2009, and Chief Executive of Group Direct Limited.[11]
In 2016, the leaked Panama Papers indicated Banks was the shareholder of British Virgin Islands company PRI Holdings Limited, which was the sole shareholder of African Strategic Resources Limited.[12] Banks has stated that he has a controlling interest in a diamond mine in Kimberley, Northern Cape, and a licence to mine in Lesotho.[3][13]
Banks has an estimated wealth of £100 million.[3]
UK Independence Party
On 1 October 2014 Banks announced that he would be donating £100,000 to the UK Independence Party; however, following comments by William Hague that he did not know who Banks was, Banks decided to increase his donation to £1 million.[14] He signalled his intention to stand for the UK Independence Party in the constituency of Thornbury and Yate at the 2015 general election.,[15] but the candidate chosen by the party was Russ Martin, who came third.
References
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