Nigel Farage is planning a £700,000 transformation of his seaside property in Greatstone, Kent, following a £5 million gift from his crypto billionaire friend, Christopher Harborne.
Renovation Plans Approved
The Reform UK leader has received planning permission from Folkestone and Hythe District Council to redevelop the dilapidated house, purchased for £575,000 in March 2023, into a substantial contemporary coastal home worth up to £1.5 million. Plans include a sizable extension, four bedrooms, a sea view balcony with glazed privacy screens, and six toilets.
Investigation into Gift
Mr Farage is being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over the multimillion-pound gift from Harborne, which he claimed was for security. Labour's Chair Anna Turley said: 'Nigel Farage’s finances get murkier as each day passes. He said the £5 million was for security and wasn’t political in any sense at all. Then he said it was a reward for Brexit. He needs to be open and honest as to whether any of it has gone directly or indirectly towards his private property interests.'
Mr Farage has praised Greatstone as a 'super place' that will attract many people in the coming years. His company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, bought the property in March 2023, and renovation costs are expected to reach £700,000. Once completed, the property could be worth comfortably over £1 million, potentially up to £1.5 million.
Previous Planning Applications
Mr Farage had earlier been granted approval to demolish the property and build a new three-storey house, following an initial application in May 2024, just weeks after receiving the gift from Harborne. The Reform leader is being probed over whether he broke Commons rules by not declaring the £5 million gift. Reform UK claims it was a personal, unconditional gift with no rules broken.
Mr Farage purchased a £1.4 million property in Surrey a month after receiving Harborne’s gift. Reform UK has stated that the offer and purchase process for the Surrey property started before the gift, and a spokesperson said Mr Farage paid for it using his fee from appearing on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
Spokesperson's Statement
Questioned on the Greatstone plans, a spokesperson for Mr Farage told the Mirror: 'Work on the first planning application began in November 2023, when an architect was first appointed - a long time before the unconditional gift was made. The second application related to more modest plans than those originally proposed. No building work has even commenced on the property in question.'
