Farage denies breaking rules after reports of undeclared benefits from ally
Nigel Farage’s spokesman has rejected new claims that the Reform UK leader may have broken parliamentary rules – following reports the MP failed to declare that he had benefited from an ally convicted of fraud USA.
Sunday Times says George Cottrell provided support, external They included security and social media staff who worked on Farage’s online content in the year before he was elected. It is also alleged that Farage used a property rented by Cottrell near Buckingham Palace.
Farage is already facing a parliamentary investigation over a £5 million gift from an unregistered billionaire Reform UK donor. He argued that the money was for personal security and was not political as it was taken when he was not involved in politics.
His team made a similar argument about why “in-kind” – non-cash benefits allegedly from Cottrell were not recorded.
Cottrell, 32, who pleaded guilty to a string of wire fraud counts in the United States in 2017, is a long-time ally of Farage.
Farage served as honorary president of Reform between March 2021 and June 2024. He confirmed that he would return as party leader on 3 June 2024 and participate in the general elections. He became MP for Clacton in July 2024.
Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare any financial interests and “registerable benefits” they received in the 12 months before their election.
Purely personal gifts or benefits do not need to be recorded, the guidelines say.
When he became MP, Farage recorded a £9,253 trip to Belgium donated by Cottrell in April 2024, and later added a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US domestic flight he provided in December 2024. No endorsements other than Cottrell are listed. Registration of Members’ Financial Interests., external
A spokesman for Farage said: “Given that the newspaper supported Labor at the last general election, it is no surprise that the Sunday Times chose to publish this baseless and fabricated story, which covers a period when Nigel Farage was not an active politician, let alone an elected politician. Contrary to the tone of the story, no parliamentary rules were broken.”
A source said Reform paid for Farage’s security and staff after he returned to politics.
The source also denied Farage had received accommodation from Cottrell and said the MP was not staying at the London property.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is currently investigating whether Farage broke the rules regarding a £5 million gift from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne in early 2024.
Farage said Harborne gave him money for his personal security, adding that the gift was “purely private” and “not political in any way”.
A Labor spokesman said: “Nigel Farage and Reform are caught up in a major and growing scandal.”
“These new allegations of secret payments by a wealthy convicted criminal come on top of an ongoing scandal over a secret £5 million gift he received from a crypto billionaire. How much money was he given, what did his donors get in return and why did he try to cover it up and avoid legitimate questions?”
