Nigel Farage’s anti-WHO campaign moves to US with allies added to board | Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage’s campaign against the World Health Organization (WHO) is moving to the US with a new panel of lobbyists, raising questions about why the Reform UK leader is involved with an American pressure group.

The Action for World Health campaign, co-founded by Farage, is moving to the US state of Delaware as a charity and grassroots non-profit organization.

As part of its relaunch, it recruited Farage’s long-time friend and Brexit campaigner Andy Wigmore to its board, as well as American lobbyist and political strategist Gerry Gunster, who worked on Farage’s Leave campaign for the 2016 EU referendum.

Farage is honorary chairman of World Health Action, which is pressing for the replacement of the WHO, which it claims is too close to China, “compromised by private funding” and “far left”.

The decision to move the campaign to the US and fundraise in dollars comes after Farage has spent a significant amount of time there since becoming an MP in July 2024, making at least 10 trips to the US in that time.

The pressure group’s website now appeals for donations via payment card or US bank account, and there is a website form where people around the world can email their politicians to speak out against the WHO, but there is no option for people in the UK to email their politicians.

Under Donald Trump, the United States has already left the WHO, which coordinates global responses to pandemics and other health threats.

Action on World Health has other board members based in London; these include Amanda Moslé Friedman, a US businesswoman and partner of Farage who works for nuclear technology company IP3, and Greg Swenson, chairman of UK Republicans Overseas.

In 2024, the Guardian revealed that World Health Action had links to the nicotine industry. Its other co-founder is Reform UK local election candidate David Roach, whose company has previously provided secretarial services to the New Nicotine Global Initiative, which advocates for nicotine pouches and other products. Roach’s company also lobbied on behalf of an electronic cigarette company called ANDS.

World Health Action’s “manifesto” published ahead of the UK election in 2024 opposed “over-regulation” of vaping. “Instead of WHO bullying countries into treating their citizens like children through excessive regulation of food, alcohol, sodas and vaping products that are 95% less harmful than smoking, adults should be treated like adults,” the report said.

Asked about his clients at the time, Roach said no vaping or new nicotine companies had provided funding to Action on World Health, and David Roach Consulting had not been paid for its services to the organization. He said World Health Action does not have a public list of funders because that would violate privacy.

Farage founded the group in May 2024 and his unpaid role in the organization was belatedly announced in MPs’ registers of interest later that year.

WHO had previously accused Action on World Health of spreading misinformation about its international agreement designed to improve global pandemic preparedness.

A spokesman for the campaign group Spotlight on Corruption said: “This shows how urgently tougher rules are needed on MPs’ second jobs and side hustles. It is a major manifesto commitment but it is disappointing that so little progress has been made on this issue so far.”

World Health, Reform and Roach Action did not respond to a request for comment on the group’s relocation.