Extinction Rebellion is paying activists up to £400 a week to lead the protests that have brought chaos to the streets of Britain, documents seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal.
Protesters have received payments totalling more than £70,000 in four months alone.
But the eco-protest group privately fears it could face a six-figure tax bill if the money, which is given as expenses, is deemed to be payment for work done on XR’s behalf.
Last night, one Tory MP called on HMRC to launch an immediate investigation into the movement’s tax affairs.
Most of the thousands of activists who brought chaos to London last week were unpaid volunteers, but a select number are claiming the funds which enable them to dedicate their efforts to the protest group, also known as XR.
This newspaper has seen claims for expenses from 168 activists, including Tamsin Omond, a baronet’s granddaughter who has appeared in Tatler and rubbed shoulders with Boris Johnson – and who asked for money after ditching some public relations clients to concentrate on protests.
A dossier of files from within XR reveals the inner workings of the protest movement and its finances.
They show how:
- Activists have been paid more than £200,000 since the start of the scheme;
- The cost of the payments is increasing by ‘at least £40,000 a month’;
- Activists are targeting ‘high net worth individuals’ for more funds;
- They spent £5,000 on a camping tour of Europe for key members.
The revelations come as the number of activists arrested in the current XR protests approaches 1,300.
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