Nigel Farage did not declare gifts from crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud | Nigel Farage
Reform’s economic spokesman has admitted Nigel Farage failed to disclose gifts and benefits provided by a crypto entrepreneur previously convicted of fraud.
The Reform leader accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell but claimed these were personal gifts provided to him before he became an MP and therefore did not need to be declared, Robert Jenrick said on Sunday.
Jenrick’s comments came after Sunday Times revealed Cottrell, who was convicted of wire fraud in the United States, hired social media staff for Farage and allowed him to stay in the mansion near Buckingham Palace.
Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg whether Cottrell would pay staff to run Farage’s social media presence in 2024, Jenrick said: “Yes, absolutely.”
But he added: “If it is in a purely personal capacity, you are allowed to accept a gift, support, whatever you want to call it, from a personal friend before you become an MP.
“When you’re a news anchor and you’re still in the woods [in the TV programme I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!]“You are creating social media content that has nothing to do with his duties as an MP because he was not an MP.”
Jenrick also admitted Farage had stayed at Cottrell’s home “a number of times” and accepted private security paid for by him. “The reform was completely clear on this,” he said.
These revelations raise questions about how Farage financed his lifestyle before and since becoming an MP.
The Guardian revealed earlier this year that the Reform leader failed to declare a £5 million donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne just before announcing his intention to run for parliament.
Parliamentary rules say MPs must declare gifts, grants and hospitality they received in the year before their election if it relates in any way to their political activities. However, there is an exemption for gifts given entirely personally.
Liberal Democrats are now written to the parliamentary standards commissionerAlready investigating the Harborne money, he also asks her to look at the gifts Cottrell provided.
A Reform spokesman said on Sunday: “Given that the newspaper supported Labor at the last general election, it is not surprising 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 elected.
“Contrary to the tone of the story, no parliamentary rules were violated.”
Health minister James Murray said Farage had questions to answer.
“It doesn’t surprise me because I think a lot of issues arise with his finances,” Murray told Kuenssberg. “It seems to have a somewhat flexible relationship with transparency, and I put that mildly.”
The Sunday Times reported that Cottrell paid for Farage’s security over several years, paid three staff members to work on Farage’s social media presence and made his property near Buckingham Palace available for the Reform leader to use.
When he became MP, Farage recorded a £9,253 donation from Cottrell for a trip to Belgium in April 2024, and later added a £15,276 donation for a US domestic flight Cottrell secured in December 2024. However, he did not disclose other benefits that the crypto businessman has previously provided.
In 2016, Cottrell was charged with 21 crimes for his role in a money laundering scheme. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and served time in prison in Arizona, but is now seeking a pardon from US president Donald Trump.
Farage knew about the conviction because he was returning from a Trump rally with Cottrell when he was arrested.
