Farage trying to avoid scrutiny over £5m gift from crypto billionaire, Labour says | Nigel Farage

Labor has accused Nigel Farage of trying to evade scrutiny as the Reform leader continues to face questions over a £5 million gift he received from a crypto billionaire shortly before the last general election.

Asked on Sunday about the gift from Christopher Harborne, party deputy leader Richard Tice tried to portray it as something trivial to voters and said the gift complied with all the rules.

When asked by the Guardian about Farage’s undisclosed gift, Tice insisted it was a personal gift and did not need to be declared.

“Nigel was not interested in politics at that time. He was complying with all the laws,” Tice said on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg program on Sunday.

“I trust Nigel’s judgment and he follows the rules and thank God the wonderful person who received this gift is extremely determined to keep Nigel safe and secure.”

Labor Party Leader Anna Turley said there were still serious questions to be answered about the money Farage received shortly before he announced he would stand in the 2024 general election.

“Once again, Farage and his MPs clearly believe there are one rule for them and another for everyone else,” he said. “Not only did he take the money and fail to declare it. He announced a crypto tax deduction policy that would directly benefit his secret donor.”

Reform UK won more than 1,400 councilors across England in this week’s local elections, came second in the Welsh parliamentary election and finished second alongside Labor in Scotland. Farage hailed the results as a “historic shift in British politics”.

The Electoral Commission is expected to announce in the coming days whether it will launch a formal investigation into Farage’s £5 million gift and whether the gift breached election law and could result in a fine.

Tice said voters knew about the giveaway and chose to support the party anyway, which made big gains nationwide in Thursday’s election.

“The reality is that voters have recognized this and said we want more Nigel, more Reform leadership, more Reform councils,” he said.

Tice also claimed that “millions of British voters are extremely grateful for the money”.

“Frankly, £5 million is probably not enough,” he said. “The dangers to his life are increasing. It is absolutely vital that we keep Nigel safe. He did not provide government funding and this was a personal gift based on safety and security.”

He also said that the media was trying to tarnish the party by asking questions about the gift. “The problem we have is the established media that will always try anything to bring us down,” he said.

Multimillionaire Tice has faced allegations that he withheld almost £100,000 in corporation tax to benefit his investment company, which in turn donated money to Reform.

Parliament’s standards commissioner could consider whether Farage’s £5 million gift was a breach of MPs’ code of conduct. If deemed so, he may have to make a formal apology or be suspended from parliament; This could lead to a recall petition in the Clacton constituency if he is suspended for more than 10 days.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Observer: “Nigel Farage has so many questions to answer about this and there’s a reason why he’s dodging them.

“I think there needs to be more scrutiny from parliament, the media and the public regarding this.”

Farage said he had not considered running for parliament but reversed his decision a few weeks after receiving a personal gift from Thailand-based Harborne in June 2024.

Parliamentary rules state that any interests for political purposes must be declared during the 12 months before taking up office as an MP.

Harborne donated £9 million to Reform last year; this was the largest ever donation by a living person to a British political party.