Tycoons back new far-right grouping

A property tycoon and a former investment fund manager have been named as the driving forces behind a plan to create a new force on the far-right of British politics.

The Independent revealed last week that the English Defence League plans to run candidates for the first time in local elections, after a deal with another far-right group, the British Freedom Party, formed by former members of the British National Party.

Ann Marchini, who runs a buy-to-let property empire, confirmed to The Sunday Times that she is a member of the British Freedom Party and a friend of its chairman, Paul Weston.

Alan Ayling, also known as Alan Lake, was a director of Pacific Capital Investment Management until earlier this year. In October, he was named by a prosecutor in Oslo as someone Norwegian police wanted to question about the murders of 77 people by Anders Behring Breivik in July. Mr Ayling was thought to have been one of Breivik's sources of inspiration.

Both are said to have been at a "pivotal" meeting of EDL activists held at Mr Ayling's flat in London in 2009.