Watchdog ‘may take different view’ from me over £5 million gift, says Farage

Nigel Farage has acknowledged he could be facing a parliamentary sanction over an undeclared £5 million gift from a Thailand-based crypto businessman.

The Reform UK leader has repeatedly denied wrongdoing over the gift from Christopher Harborne, a major party donor, insisting it was unconnected to his political activity.

He reiterated that defence in a series of interviews on Tuesday morning, his first broadcast round since news of the gift broke, telling the BBC: “I believe it to be a wholly private matter.”

But he appeared to concede that he could be facing a parliamentary sanction, adding: “The standards commissioner may take a different view.”

Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg has opened an investigation into Mr Farage over the gift and whether the Clacton MP should have declared it in his register of interests after he was elected.

Under the rules in place at the time, new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

The rules also required MPs to bear in mind the purpose of the register of interests to provide information about financial interests “which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions”.

If found to have breached the rules, Mr Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a by-election in his seat.

Mr Farage has repeatedly insisted that he was not required to register the gift, which he has said was purely personal and intended to pay for private security for the rest of his life.

Speaking to LBC on Tuesday, he said he was given the money “unconditionally” and believed it was “a reward for giving up a quarter of a century of my life, giving up a huge income in the City of London, putting up with lots of abuse”.

Mr Farage has repeatedly denied that it was connected to his political activity, saying he had not decided to stand in the general election at the time he received the gift.

He told the BBC on Tuesday: “I was pretty clear when a snap election was called that I wasn’t going to do it. I did change my mind subsequently.”

Asked how much of the money he had spent, he replied: “It’s none of your business.”

He also told the BBC that “no one cares, apart from the media, no one cares” about the gift.

A poll published last month by campaign group 38 Degrees and conducted by Survation found 68% of the public were concerned about the £5 million gift, including around half of current Reform voters.