• DAVID Shiels, an Open Europe policy analyst, wrote an opinion piece on Conservative Home last week titled “Will the DUP Move?”

One move which is not open to conjecture is Open Europe’s relocation to 40 Great Smith Street. It is the same address as a former private office of Nigel Farage, the current Brexit Party leader, and was among close to £500,000 of expenses paid for by Arron Banks, according to Channel 4 News.

This is in stark contrast to Open Europe’s recently filed company accounts which showed they burned through 99 per cent of their July 2016 cash balance. This resulted in their short term tax liability being 30 per cent higher than then available funds as of their reported balance sheet date.

Open Europe describes itself as “a non-partisan and independent policy think-tank”. Although there is no evidence of Nigel Farage or Arron Banks directly providing funds, they do need to reveal the source of their funding to give credibility to the claim of being independent.

Open Europe’s claim to be independent is further stretched by their company secretary – Henry Newman – reportedly being a special adviser to Michael Gove, the government minister in charge of no-deal planning.

Given the secrecy around Open Europe it is indeed apt that the “No Deal Brexit” plan codenamed Operation Yellowhammer, is an anagram of Orwell Mayhem!

JONATHAN LIVINGSTONE, NW3
STEPHEN CAMERON, NW3
MARX DE MORAIS, NW3
CHRIS FRASER, NW11