Town chairman and CEO Mark Ashton and chief operating officer Luke Werhun met with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for lunch during his Monday visit to Portman Road, it has emerged.

Farage was part of a Reform group which took part in a private tour of the stadium with the club accrediting members of their social media team with the resultant video and photos sparking widespread anger among supporters.

Town repeatedly insisted to media including TWTD that the visit was not on any official basis and that the controversial Clacton MP had not been invited.

But it has now emerged that while Farage was at the ground, he had lunch with Ashton and Werhun in the Chairman’s Lounge, the club having denied any official meetings or events took place during the tour.

The Athletic reports that in addition to the lunch, an invite had been made on behalf of Ashton, while the shirts pictured on Reform’s social media were among six gifted by the club, both of which have previously been denied by Town.

Fans quickly spotted a shirt being signed ‘To Mark’ in the Reform video and they report that as speculated it was for Ashton.

Staff, the vast majority of whom were unaware of the visit, are said to have reacted angrily with some making complaints to the club’s human resources department.

The players are also understood to have been angry to have been associated with Reform without their knowledge and discussed the issue at training on Tuesday.

Prominent sponsors are also understood to have made contact to express their displeasure.

The club, which refused to comment on a lunch having taken place when approached by TWTD on Tuesday and again yesterday, again say they are not commenting on this afternoon’s further revelations.

However, in a statement to The Athletic regarding their story, they said: “There are many mistruths and falsehoods in this version of events. The club stands by the statement made on Tuesday 24th March. We will be making no further comment on this matter.”

Pressed on which aspects of the story they challenged, they declined to explain further.

Fans, in many cases furious that the visit took place in the first place, will be dismayed further by the news that two of the club’s leading figures met with Farage, and then once again regarding the way the matter has been handled in the days since.

The furore is very significantly the biggest controversy since the Gamechanger 20 Ltd takeover in 2021 and one which leaves the club in a state of discord at a crucial time of the season ahead of the ownership’s fifth anniversary at the club.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters