The football fan who paid a pilot to fly a banner reading ‘White Lives Matter’ over their Premier League match against Manchester City moments after players took the knee for Black Lives Matter was today unmasked as a Tommy Robinson supporter.

Jake Hepple, of Colne, Lancashire, who has been pictured with the former EDL leader, claimed responsibility for last night’s idiotic stunt over the Etihad stadium and wrote on Facebook: ‘I’d like to take this time to apologise… to absolutely f***ing nobody!’

The Burnley supporter – who has expressed his support for the EDL on Facebook – is now being investigated by Lancashire Police, which is examining whether a criminal offence was committed.

Mr Hepple’s employer, an engineering company in Burnley called Paradigm Precision, said they were investigating his conduct and would release a full statement soon.

The aircraft identified as a single-engine Cessna 182 operated by Air Ads Ltd, a Stockport-based family company that charges clients £500-an-hour to fly their banners.