Featured image credit: Twitter @darrengrimes_
The official campaign to leave the European Union handed over £625,000 to a 23-year-old fashion designer, The Times reports.
Electoral Commission records show that Vote Leave gave the money to Darren Grimes in the days leading up to the historic poll, making him one of the best-funded unofficial campaigners of the EU referendum on both sides of the debate.
Grimes, who attends the University of Brighton, is said to have spent the money on his BeLeave project, a social media campaign that targeted young voters. The campaign attracted more than 6,000 likes on Facebook and more than 3,500 followers of Twitter.
According to a Vote Leave source, Grimes was paid the money because the Vote Leave campaign wanted to ensure that all of its £7 million budget had been spent.
"He may be young but there was no point giving money to old people to run a campaign persuading young people to vote for Brexit," the source told The Times.
Grimes believed that young people had not been given enough of a say in the referendum before he was given funds to push his campaign.
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Words: Hamish Kilburn
Featured Image Credit:Topics: EU referendum