A former BNP member from Birmingham donated £600,000 to the official Vote Leave campaign.

Records published by the Electoral Commission show the campaign received two donations from Gladys Bramall, of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham.

She donated £100,000 in April and £500,000 in May this year.

And the 88-year-old’s name and address appear on a version of the BNP membership list that was leaked in 2006, when Nick Griffin was the party leader.

Contacted by website BuzzFeed, Mrs Bramall confirmed that she had been a BNP member - and that she had made the donation.

But she told the website: "My husband joined, he obviously enrolled me at the same time.

"It wasn't with my knowledge."

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Boris Johnson is a member of the official Vote Leave campaign
Boris Johnson is a member of the official Vote Leave campaign

The EU referendum takes place on Thursday.

The fact that the campaign accepted funds from a former BNP activist will be an embarrassment for Vote Leave's chair, Birmingham Edgbaston MP Gisela Stuart (Lab). Former London mayor Boris Johnson is also a key member.

But the campaign will return any money from "tainted sources" said another senior member, Justice Secretary Michael Gove.

The leading Brexiteer said he had not known that Mrs Bramall featured on a leaked BNP membership list.

But Mr Gove insisted that if she held the "objectionable" anti-immigrant views of the BNP then Vote Leave would return it and not use it in campaigning.

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The Remain campaign called for the money to be returned immediately and said the Leave campaign is risking association with racist views.

Asked whether he welcomed the donation, Mr Gove told LBC radio: "Absolutely not.

"I wasn't aware of that.

"As far as I'm concerned the BNP has no, well...

"I utterly abhor and reject the politics of the BNP and the people who support it.

"But you've shared that information with me, I wasn't aware of that beforehand, I'd obviously like to investigate myself who this lady is and what the history behind it is.

"But if this money comes from someone whose views are objectionable then of course we will do everything we can to make sure that money that comes from any tainted source is returned and plays no part in the campaign."

Conservative minister and Remain campaigner Sam Gyimah said the revelation was particularly worrying in the wake of the resignation of Vote Leave board member Arabella Arkwright for sharing anti-Muslim material on social media.

Mr Gyimah said: "It's extremely concerning that Vote Leave have received so much money from a former member of the BNP an abhorrent organisation.

"By accepting this money they risk associating themselves with these views, especially following the resignation of one of their board members after she re-tweeted far-right material. They must now return the donation immediately."