Ex-Reform leader in Wales who took pro-Russian bribes was ‘bad apple’ – Farage
Nigel Farage has described a former senior figure in his party who has been convicted of taking pro-Russian bribes as a “bad apple”.
Nathan Gill, who led Reform UK in Wales in 2021, admitted taking bribes to make statements in favour of Vladimir Putin’s Russia while he was a Member of the European Parliament.
His activities were said to include making pro-Russian statements about events in Ukraine in the European Parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets.
Speaking at a campaign visit in Caerphilly on Friday, Mr Farage said he was “shocked” by Mr Gill’s admissions.
‘Shocking’
He said: “Any political party can find in their midst all sorts of terrible people.
“Gill is particularly shocking because I knew him as a devout Christian, very clean-living, honest person.
“So I’m deeply shocked. But you know, that is a different time.
“I’m the only one [in Reform] that really knew him, going back a long way.”
Llŷr Powell, Reform UK’s candidate in the Caerphilly Senedd byelection, worked as a constituency caseworker for Nathan Gill while he was an MEP. He described his boss’s behaviour as “abhorrent” and “a betrayal.”
Gill, 52, pleaded guilty last month to eight counts of bribery between December 6, 2018 and July 18, 2019.
He was leader of Reform UK Wales from March to May 2021.
‘Historic’
Mr Farage added: “Every single political party has a bad apple, in fact, many families finish up with a bad apple, these things happen.
“It’s not to downplay the severity of it… but it’s historic.
“You can never, ever guarantee 100% that everyone you meet in your life, you shake hands with in the pub, is a good person.
“What you can do is, you know, do everything you can through vetting and everything else, to make sure that you put before the public good, decent people, and that is something we work very hard at.”
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Just a coincidence then that Farage praises Putin?
The wisdom of the ancients reminds us that birds of a feather flock together.
Gill is only guilty because he got caught. How many other Reform politicians have accepted bribes from Russia that we don’t know about? Quite a few of them have spouted pro-Russia propaganda or even expressed admiration of Putin.
How many welsh labour mps have taken money from companies ? To get what they want? Some been caught other’s haven’t.
What a load of old b*****ks. A desperate rearguard action to distance himself and Powell from Tovarich Gill.
“Any political party can find in their midst all sorts of terrible people.” Not a good choice of phrase when you’re the nucleus that Reform revolves around.
Should have let him plead non guilty and see what he had to say about Garage then. Maybe they might have arranged an Epstein on him then.
Farage rated him, hand picked him, fluffed for him and spoke up for Russia in the EU and thinks Putin a great guy……..
Coincidence of course.
Did Farage himself take Russian money. He refused to share his tax record, unlike Starmer and Sunak, questions remain about the purchase of the house in Clacton, of which has has admitted to not telling the truth about its purchase, these are some of the questions the public are talking about, has he taken Russian money as a bribe, to be clear, I am just asking.
Is his commercial fishing vessel part of the Russian “shadow fleet?” I’m just asking too.
What we know about farage on the official record(see link). Of course the way farage manages his finances is something he gets shirty about when asked. Like the house he bought in clacton then turned out he didn’t and his girlfriend did despite not appearing to have the ways and means but meant farage didn’t have to pay the tax and then of course a failing TV company pour loot (a massive wage) into farages company as payment and reform now take crypto, an easy way to slip a few bob into a party. Allegedly. The blokes minted and not… Read more »
Mustn’t talk about the Brexit.
Do they have any good apples?
Like the Met then. Just the odd bad apple, nothing to see, move on.
Moscow’s Little Helper should not be trusted under any circumstance
The whole barrel is rotten.
It’s interesting that Reform have a problem hosting Ukrainians in Wales. Is that orders from an unhappy Kremlin?