Nigel Farage revamped his grade II-listed woodland home after pocketing a crypto billionaire's £5 million gift. Reform UK's leader is under investigation for not declaring the 'security' cash from Thai-based Christopher Harborne. Now it has emerged that after receiving the gift, Farage extended his £1.4 million Surrey tree-lined property.
Renovation Details
All planned works, including internal alterations, could cost up to £350,000, according to a property expert. The extension has been built, though it is unclear if all internal works are completed. Farage owns at least four houses.
Footage from video platform Cameo, where Farage earns cash filming personalised messages, appears to show him in the extended part of the house. This revelation follows the discovery that Farage plans to spend up to £700,000 on a Grand Designs-style makeover of his Kent beach pad.
Political Reaction
The Labour Party said: 'The list of unanswered questions around Nigel Farage’s finances grows by the day. It’s high time the Reform Leader was straight with the public and put all the facts on the table over his secret £5 million gift from his Thai-based crypto billionaire backer. This scandal isn’t going away and Farage’s attempts to deflect attention from it won’t wash with the British public. It’s become crystal clear that Farage isn’t on the side of working people – he’s just in it for himself.'
Property Timeline
Farage purchased the Surrey house in cash in May 2024, weeks after receiving the money from Mr Harborne. Reform said the offer and purchase process started before the gift. Planning permission was later obtained to build a new extension on the secluded property and make other changes.
The plans included a ground floor extension, changes to windows and doors, internal alterations, a chimney removal, and a log burner. Proposed drawings show the property would have two bedrooms with en suite toilets, a dressing room, a lounge, and a kitchen with a hidden door leading to a utility room. The property received both planning permission and listed building consent from a council in April last year.
Expert Cost Analysis
A property expert told the Mirror: 'Based on the planning documents, I would describe this as a relatively modest physical extension but with a potentially expensive refurbishment element because the property is Grade II-listed, unusual, rural/secluded and likely to require specialist detailing. The extension itself is only 54 cubic metres. At a normal single-storey height, that is likely to equate to roughly 20–23 sq m of additional floor area. For a listed property in Surrey, I would expect that element alone to cost in the region of £100,000–£125,000, depending on specification, access, structural works and finishes.'
'The wider works — internal reconfiguration, changes to windows and doors, chimney removal, new flue/log burner, making good and associated listed-building detailing — could easily add a further £175,000–£225,000 if done properly. On that basis... I would estimate the total cost of the approved renovation and extension works at around £270,000–£350,000 including VAT and normal contractor preliminaries.'
The expert added: 'I would not assume the works add pound-for-pound value. They are more likely to make the property more saleable and comfortable than to create a large development profit.'
Separately, retrospective approval was obtained last year to convert a detached garage at the property into a gym and study. Another statement submitted to the council explained: '...when the current owner moved into the property, the existing garage had already been converted into a habitable space and benefitted from a bathroom. The current owner has decorated the space since moving in but uses it only as a private study/gym.'
Investigation
Farage is being probed by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over whether he violated Commons rules by not declaring the £5 million from Mr Harborne. Reform has claimed it was 'a personal, unconditional gift' with no rules broken. The Clacton MP said the money was for his security, later describing it as a 'reward' for Brexit campaigning.
Farage’s spokesman last month said the politician had paid for the Surrey house using his fee from appearing on I'm a Celeb. However, the claim was challenged by his firm’s accounts appearing to show the fee from the ITV reality programme remained on the company’s balance sheet after the property purchase. Asked about the source of funds for the house, Reform told the Financial Times: 'Nigel has multiple sources of income, as you can see from his parliamentary register.'
When asked by the Mirror how Farage funded the revamp of his Surrey house, his spokesman declined to comment.
