GINA Miller wants to give Theresa May “a bit of a bloody nose” with her latest campaign and cut the Conservative majority almost in half.

The pro-EU campaigner, who took the Government to court over Article 50, said her Best For Britain campaign is offering support to “principled” candidates with strong voices and track records including Peter Kyle, Caroline Lucas and Kelly-Marie Blundell in Lewes.

She said the group would be organising events and targeted Facebook adverts for candidates who back a “free and meaningful vote” at the end of Brexit negotiations.

The Eastbourne-born campaigner admitted some candidates had refused offers of support because of her strong Europhile reputation.

She joined Caroline Lucas for a walk around Brighton yesterday before heading to Brighton Gin’s distillery in Portslade to meet Peter Kyle before heading to Lewes to see Kelly-Marie Blundell.

Best For Britain has crowdfunded more than £300,000 which it is using to support its champions in the run-in to June 8.

Mrs Miller hopes to help cut the Conservatives’ majority from 71 to 40, warning a Tory landslide victory would be used as a mandate for extreme Brexit with no questions asked.

Mrs Miller said: “We appreciate there is going to be a Conservative win but that doesn’t mean we can’t have strong voices who are principled and who are going to put their constituency before party politics.

“This campaign is about denting that landslide. All options should be on the table [for a free vote] including remaining if that is the best place for us. It’s not about stopping Brexit, it’s about ensuring what is best for the country.”

Mrs Miller agreed her backing for candidates could have a negative impact with some swinging voters.

She said: “Some candidates have had to decide that and some have found it difficult to accept the support. I think we should move on but just because we voted leave does not give that blank cheque and does not mean the 48 per cent don’t exist.”

Peter Kyle described Theresa May as “pig-headed” and obsessed with the perception of her own personal strength while Mrs Miller said the PM’s tone with the EU was “very worrying, very aggressive and not collegiate”.

They both warned hard Brexit would “bite everything” from passport controls, energy supply, food standards and aviation.

The Labour candidate for Hove said: “By the time that people experience Brexit, it will be too late to change and shape it. Which is why you need people in Parliament who will challenge and scrutinise and really put the leg work into getting Brexit right.”

Mr Kyle said big multi-national companies would be able to absorb the impact of a hard Brexit but small businesses trying to get off the ground would not be faced with additional tariffs or legislative and administrative burdens.

That threat could not come at a worse time for Brighton Gin which recently completed its first export delivery to Gibraltar.

Founder Kathy Caton said British gin was a real national success story with 60 per cent of production exported and further success could create a global presence and spread the word of Brighton.

She said: “At the moment it makes sense for us to really to put our export in Europe because the label is accepted in EU and hopefully there won’t be barriers.

“We want to really grow and develop but in a sustainable way and that’s what we are really focused on this year. We’re just at the beginning of that journey.

“Anything that can help us make decisions about long-term future would be helpful. Looking towards the wider world with a tiny team anything that can help with tariffs or the really unsexy things like paperwork, freedom of trade, that is what we are after.”