Laure Ferrari, the partner of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, has declined to confirm how she financed the purchase of a house in his Clacton constituency. In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, Ferrari reportedly evaded questions about the property's funding, which was previously revealed by the Guardian to be solely in her name despite Farage initially claiming he had bought it.
When asked by Le Monde if she used a family inheritance to buy the house, Ferrari responded: 'Yes and no, that would be a very large inheritance … There's more than one way to pay for a house.' She added: 'I can't say how much my grandmother gave, that's my business. The main thing is that I paid all the taxes, there was no tax evasion, and the house is in my name.'
The property, located in Frinton-on-Sea, was purchased for £885,000. Farage had previously stated that Ferrari came from a wealthy French family and could afford it herself, denying that he lent or gave her money. However, a BBC investigation raised questions about the family's wealth, noting that Ferrari's father's haulage business was liquidated in 2020 and her parents live in a flat worth about £300,000.
Labour has called on Farage to clarify how the purchase was funded, stating: 'Last week we discovered that Nigel Farage failed to declare a £5 million donation from a crypto-billionaire and this week we discover that Farage's partner might not have paid for all of his house in Clacton after all. The leader of Reform needs to stop dodging scrutiny and urgently answer questions about this purchase.'
Ferrari also claimed in the interview that she encouraged Farage's key political moves, including leaving Ukip and running for parliament in 2024. She insisted she would not be involved in UK affairs if Farage became prime minister, criticising Carrie Johnson for overstepping during Boris Johnson's tenure.
