Daily Express owner hands Ukip £1 million donation

Daily Express owner Richard Desmond has donated £1 million to Ukip. Picture: PA

The contribution was hailed by Ukip leader Nigel Farage who said that he hoped other wealthy backers would now follow his example.

Mr Desmond, who donated £300,000 to the party last year, said he believed Ukip would “stand up for people who are struggling”.

“I firmly believe in Ukip. It’s a party for good, ordinary British people. It is not run by elitists,” Mr Desmond was quoted as saying on the Express website.

“They are struggling to have a voice. They do not have a massive party machine or highly paid public relations people. They are human; they are not perfect and they do not pretend to be. But what they believe in is the best for the British people. They are the sort of people who will stand up for people who are struggling.”

Mr Farage said: “Richard Desmond is a self-made man, who has done a brave thing in coming out for Ukip today. I hope that many others will now follow suit.”

Meanwhile, Ukip’s use of a Royal British Legion poppy in an advert for one of its candidates was described by the charity as “wholly unacceptable” yesterday.

The Legion said the poppy, which is sold every year in advance of Remembrance Day, was a registered trademark that should not be used in a political campaign. The image was used in a newspaper advert for Andrew Charalambous, Ukip candidate in North East Cambridgeshire.