Nigel Farage says Reform UK would ‘gladly’ accept more donations from Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne
Nigel Farage has said Reform UK would “gladly” accept more funding from Christopher Harborne, despite being investigated by the Commons’ dirty watchdog for failing to declare a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire.
The Reform UK leader has faced scrutiny in recent weeks over Mr Harborne’s multimillion-pound donation weeks before Mr Farage stood in the 2024 general election.
Mr Harborne’s donations to Mr Farage and Reform UK have been a particular controversy for the party after he gifted the party £9 million last August – the largest donation from a living person to a political party in history – and a further £3 million this year.
The Thailand-based entrepreneur is reportedly now registered to vote in the UK, allowing him to avoid a cap on donations made abroad to political parties.
Mr Farage said he was “delighted” with Monday’s development, and when asked if Reform UK would accept further donations from Mr Harborne, he said: “Gladly. Of course.”
Speaking ahead of a rally at the Holiday Inn Norwich North on Monday evening, he continued: “Of course we would, and we are very pleased that he (Mr Harborne) has re-registered for the UK.”
Mr Farage’s recent disclosure of the £5 million “gift” from the crypto entrepreneur prompted an investigation by Westminster’s standards watchdog into whether Mr Farage broke Commons rules by not declaring it after his election in 2024.
He could be removed from the House of Commons if the investigation finds he has seriously breached parliamentary rules. A suspension of 10 days or more could trigger a recall petition, which could result in him having to fight for his Clacton seat again.
Mr Farage had previously insisted the £5 million gift was for private security for the rest of his life, but later also claimed it was “a reward for 27 years of campaigning for Brexit”.
Last week he insisted “no one cares” about the money and told BBC Breakfast when asked how much he spent on the gift: “It’s none of your business.”
“I firmly believe I did nothing wrong in any way,” he said, adding that he had no regrets about not declaring the donation at the time.
Asked if he had been interviewed about the possibility of becoming an MP before accepting the gift, Farage said: “Yes. After that I said, ‘I’m not going to stand in this election’. And when the snap election was called I was quite clear that I wasn’t going to do it. Then I changed my mind.”
