Farage faces parliamentary watchdog investigation over £5m gift
David Hughes and Will Meakin-Durrant, Press Association Political Staff
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is facing an investigation by the Commons sleaze watchdog over a £5 million gift from a party donor.
Mr Farage was referred to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg over the undeclared gift from Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne received in 2024.
The Reform leader has previously insisted there is “no case to answer” over the gift, which he said was not connected to his political activity and was needed to pay for private security for the rest of his life.
He is reported to have received the money in 2024 before he announced he would stand in Clacton at that year’s general election.
The Press Association understands the commissioner has opened an investigation under rule five of the MPs’ code of conduct, which specifies new MPs should register relevant financial interests received in the 12 months before their election within one month of entering Parliament.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Mr Farage’s office is in communications with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
“He has always been clear that this was a personal, unconditional gift and no rules were broken.
“We look forward to this being put to bed once and for all.”
Mr Harborne has separately donated millions to Reform, including a £9 million donation in August 2025 – the biggest single donation in history to a political party from a living person.
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “Nigel Farage has been avoiding legitimate questions since news of his billionaire backer’s ‘gift’.
“It’s right that he faces a proper investigation.”
Naz Shah joked about the donation as she formally moved Wednesday’s King’s Speech in the Commons, to mark the start of the parliamentary session.
The Labour MP said Mr Farage “could pay a visit” to her Bradford West constituency to treat Reform UK councillors “to a good curry followed by a pint”.
She told the Commons: “In fact, given the size of his recent gift that we are now all well aware of, he could probably take half of Bradford out and still be left with plenty of change.”
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “£5 million is an enormous amount, more than most people will earn in a lifetime. Nigel Farage needs to explain how he got it, why he got it, and why he didn’t declare it.
“If there is a simple answer then he should welcome these investigations. But like so often with Reform, there is something very fishy about the whole story.”
Rules
On Sunday, Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice said the £5 million was “probably not enough” to keep Mr Farage safe.
He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “The rules are very clear and Nigel has complied with the rules.”
Pressed on whether any of the cash was spent on other political activity, Mr Tice said: “Nigel’s safety and security is absolutely paramount. And I know, because I spend a lot of time with Nigel, that frankly £5 million is probably not enough.”
He added it was “a personal gift based around safety and security”.
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The risk of a recall and subsequent win in a by-election would only re-enforce his political position.
He should be under a criminal investigation.
If Farij eventually gets up Harbornes’ nose like he does with everyone else, he may not want to pay for his lifetime security and may want his money back.
Interesting to see if he can shoe receipts for 5 million pounds of security protection services!
What we must not forget is that this revelation is only known because of investigative journalism. Farage himself never made it public. But what you’ll find with Nigel Farage—much like with Donald Trump in America—is that, with any scandal, he plays the victim, claims it’s politically motivated, insists he’s done nothing wrong, and says it’s an establishment stitch-up, rather than acknowledging that, if you stand for public office as an MP, you are required to declare any income, benefits, or earnings in the MPs’ register of interests with a proper paper trail 12 months leading up to taking office.
Good. And so he should. If there was any suggestion that Starmer had taken a £5m bung off someone, Farage, together with most of the mainstream press wouldn’t have let it go. Like a dog playing with an old sock.
Merriam-Webster defines kleptocracy as “government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed'”. Any of this ring a bell?