Nigel Farage's allegation that a Russian hack was behind a Guardian report on a £5m gift he received from a crypto billionaire has been dismissed as “without any merit” by Ciaran Martin, former head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Martin said the Reform UK leader had provided “a shred of evidence” to support his claim, which would have major implications for UK policy towards Russia if true.
It is understood that Farage has not asked the NCSC to investigate his belief that the Guardian's revelation of the donation by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne resulted from a Russian “hack-and-leak” operation. Martin said such an operation would amount to an “unprecedentedly aggressive intervention” into British democracy, and urged Farage to contact the NCSC and make public any technical evidence.
Martin stated: “An aspiring prime minister has essentially claimed that Russia has launched an unprecedentedly aggressive intervention – a malicious intervention – in British politics, and he's not produced a shred of evidence to support that claim.” He added that if true, the government should be in emergency session, but as it stands the claim is “entirely unsubstantiated”.
Farage's allegation followed a parliamentary inquiry into his failure to declare the gift, which he claims was exempt as it was personal and for security. A Reform UK source claimed analysis of Farage's phone by “counter-espionage experts” suggested compromise by “hostile actors, almost certainly linked to Moscow”. The Guardian described Farage's claim as “an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs”.
Martin emphasised the onus is on Farage to report the matter to authorities, given the serious implications for national security. He said: “An aspiring prime minister should treat it with the utmost seriousness and cooperate fully with the National Cyber Security Centre and any other relevant authority; otherwise you should not make these accusations, because they're way too serious to just be bandied around.”
