AARON BANKS AND RUSSIAN MONEY?

I know there have been suggestions recently that the money Brexit's leading donor, Aaron Banks, gave or lent to the campaign may not have been his own so it is welcome that the Electoral Commission is going to investigate (HERE). There are people who think Russian money was behind Brexit and since it is now clear that the Kremlin has interfered in many recent elections most notably in the USA, France and Germany, it is perhaps surprising that they seem not to have been involved at all in Brexit.

In fact, if one looks at attempts by Putin to bring about global changes which advance Russian interests, and assuming like many you now see the Trump presidency as a massive own goal, Brexit looks like a singular success story. It weakens the EU and could even lead to other nations exiting the bloc.  Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French National Front received loans from banks linked to The Kremlin (HERE). Some of the extreme nationalists in Europe are so anti-EU I don't think Russian money would come at too high a price.

So, the question then arises why would Putin put so much time, effort and risk into trying to get Trump elected but do nothing at all on Brexit?  It does not really make sense.

An article in The Guardian (HERE)  speculates that if solid evidence emerges of Russian funding or interference in the referendum it might be the final nail in Brexit's coffin.