Nigel Farage ‘reported to police’ after Reform accused of falsifying campaign expenses

Nigel Farage is said to have been reported to the police after a former aide claimed the Reform UK party leader had frauded election spending during his campaign in Clacton.

Mr Farage has been called on to “come clean” after it was reported he was accused of breaching his campaign’s spending rules during his successful bid to become an MP last year.

Richard Everett, a former Reform UK councilor and member of Mr Farage’s campaign team, is said to have submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police showing the party spent more than the £20,660 limit in his Essex constituency.

Reform vehemently denied breaching the law on election spending and accused Mr Everett of being a “disgruntled former councillor” who was expelled from the party “a few months ago”.

But both Labor and the Conservatives said the Reform leader had questions to answer about the allegations.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Everett claims Reform failed to declare expenses on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar at its Clacton campaign office.

The party claims in its official manifesto that this falls just £400 below the spending limit set by electoral law, and that undeclared spending would rise above that limit.

But he also said he thought Mr Farage himself was “blissfully unaware”.

Labor leader Anna Turley said: “Nigel Farage urgently needs to answer serious questions about whether he broke the law and misled the public when he stood for election to parliament.

“Our parliamentary democracy depends on people playing by the rules so that all candidates receive a fair public hearing.

“Nigel Farage must come clean and put all the evidence on the table to prove that he did not undermine our democracy by breaking the rules. Failure to do so will raise further questions about what he must be hiding.”

Meanwhile, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake called on the police and the Electoral Commission to investigate Mr Everett’s allegations.

He said: “We all have an obligation to play by the rules to ensure our elections are free and fair.”

Mr Everett, who switched from the Conservatives to Reform last year, has since left the party and now serves as an Independent councillor.

When asked about the allegations, Labor Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told Sky News that “there are rules around our election spending to ensure that everyone taking part in our elections has a fair chance, so this is a serious issue.”

But he added: “If the police are investigating, we should leave that to the police.”

A Reform spokesman said: “These false allegations come from a disgruntled former councillor.”

They added: “The party denies breaching electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.”

It comes after the Electoral Commission was asked to investigate cryptocurrency donations to Reform UK amid allegations that Nigel Farage “abused his public position as an MP”.

Both Labor and the Liberal Democrats called for an investigation after the commission’s quarterly report last week revealed that Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne had donated £9 million to Reform; this was the largest ever political donation by a single living person.

Reform said none of the donations by Mr Harborne, who sometimes goes by the name Chakrit Sakunkrit in Thailand, were in cryptocurrency. But the party refused to answer further questions about cryptocurrency donations Mr Farage publicly claimed the party had received.

In the letter to the commission, the Liberal Democrats expressed concern about a “potential conflict of interest” that could “undermine public confidence in the integrity of our political system”.

Meanwhile, in a letter to Mr Farage that was also sent to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Electoral Commission on Sunday evening, Labor Party leader Anna Turley said there were “a number of questions that deserve an urgent answer”.

Reform UK said all its donations were “reported accurately and in accordance with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA)”.

The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.