Nigel Farage referred to standards watchdog over undisclosed £5m gift | Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage has been referred to parliament’s standards watchdog after the Guardian newspaper revealed he received an undisclosed £5 million gift from a party donor.
The guidance was made by the Conservative Party, citing rules requiring MPs to declare any “personal benefit” they received in the 12 months before taking office and to do so within a month of being elected.
The gift of Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne also coincided with this period. Some personal gifts are exempt from reporting rules “unless they could reasonably be considered by others to be related to membership of the parliament or the member’s parliamentary or political activities”. codes of conduct and rules for MPs.
The rules add: “Both the likely purpose of the giver and the purpose for which the gift will be used should be taken into account. If there is any doubt, the benefit should be recorded.”
Farage had stated that he was not considering running for parliament but converted to the U a few weeks after receiving a personal gift from Harborne in June 2024. A Reform spokesman said the gift and Farage’s decision to become an MP were “completely unrelated”.
The Reform UK leader told the Daily Telegraph in an interview, after he was approached by the Guardian for comment on its exclusive story, that the gift was given because “He is an ardent supporter of Christopher who is deeply concerned about my safety”.
Farage has also received a taxpayer-funded guarantee since becoming an MP, but this reportedly decreased last year. A spokesman for Reform UK said: “It does not receive any government-funded assurances.”
Conservative party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Farage was “obliged” to announce the gift. He said: “The Conservatives are referring Nigel Farage to the parliamentary standards commissioner today. This £5 million from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne raises serious questions. What is Nigel Farage hiding? And why does Reform think the rules don’t apply to them? This is awful and Reform must now come clean.”
Labor said Farage had broken the rules by not declaring the gift. Labor leader Anna Turley said: “This is the latest worrying example of Farage and his MPs believing there are one rule for them and another for everyone.”
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “Farage appears to have been bought off… but he is wrong if he thinks the British people will put up with this. Farage must be clear about whether he made any promises to Harborne in exchange for this eye-popping sum of money. There should also be a proper investigation into the Reform leader’s links to crypto to see whether his actions amounted to market abuse.”
Labour’s Phil Brickell, chairman of the all-parliamentary anti-corruption group, said: “This goes to the heart of trust, transparency and integrity in public life. The standards system only works if it is enforced. The standards commissioner must investigate urgently.”
Lawyers acting on behalf of Harborne did not comment when the Guardian previously asked about the gift.
A Reform UK spokesman said it did not need to be announced as it was a “personal, unconditional gift”. They added: “We complied with all relevant rules and regulations.”
