Arron Banks suing Carole Cadwalladr for libel is free speech concern, High Court hears

Carole Cadwalladr arron banks libel appeal — Arron Banks and Carole Cadwalladr. Pictures: Reuters/Hannah McKay and Press Gazette

[UPDATE: Carole Cadwalladr wins libel battle with Arron Banks using public interest defence]

Prominent Brexit donor Arron Banks’s libel case against journalist Carole Cadwalladr should be a concern “to anyone who cares about freedom of speech in this country”, the High Court heard on Friday.

However millionaire businessman Banks, who made the UK’s biggest ever single political donation ahead of the Brexit referendum, insisted the case was not a “vexatious” or “bullying” SLAPP suit.