Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, has said the party is “not aware” of any other large gifts to Nigel Farage or senior figures beyond the £5m donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. However, he admitted he could not check every member's bank accounts to be certain.
Speaking at the party's first press conference since the Guardian revealed the personal gift to Farage, Tice faced questions about transparency. When asked if he had tried to find out about further private gifts, he said: “At the end of the day, we are saying to people: ‘You’ve got to trust us.’ Have I checked the bank account of every single one out of thousands of Reform members? We are working incredibly hard and are confident in what we’re doing.”
Tice defended Farage's absence from press conferences for nearly 50 days, saying it was to showcase the party's broad talent. He rejected claims that Farage was scared of scrutiny, stating: “I think one thing you can say over the last 30 years is that Nigel Farage is not scared.”
When challenged about the similarity between Harborne's gift and a bribe taken by former Reform leader Nathan Gill from Russian-linked agents, Tice dismissed the comparison, noting Gill's payment was a criminal offence. He argued that crypto is “part of modern society” and advocated for a transparent crypto hub in London.
Tice insisted that Farage was not for sale, citing his decision not to do business with Elon Musk. He added that the party is transparent and takes all questions, and noted that the parliamentary standards commissioner is examining the donation.
Labour party chair Anna Turley criticised Reform UK, saying any party vowing to clean up Britain “should start by clearing up how their leader failed to declare a secret £5m ‘gift’.” She added: “It’s high time he stopped recycling far-fetched stories, desperately deflecting attention, and frantically trying to sweep this huge scandal under the carpet.”
