Defence Secretary John Healey has called on Nigel Farage to provide full transparency regarding the £5 million gift he received from billionaire businessman Christopher Harborne, specifically questioning whether any part of the sum may be linked to profits connected to Russia or Iran.
Healey's Letter Raises Concerns Over Russia and Iran
In a letter addressed to the Reform UK leader, Healey pressed Farage to confirm that none of the £5 million gift was derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies. He also demanded assurances that AML Global, the aviation fuel company owned by Harborne, has fully complied with all sanctions on Russian energy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Furthermore, Healey asked Farage to address whether his initial support for US-Israeli attacks on Iran could have benefited AML Global through rising aviation fuel prices, particularly after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz.
Background of the £5 Million Gift
The Guardian revealed last month that Farage received the £5 million from Harborne, a British-Thai dual citizen based in Thailand, shortly before the 2024 general election. Farage did not disclose the money at the time, and it only came to light following the Guardian's report.
Farage has argued that because the gift was unconditional and received before he announced his candidacy for parliament, there was no requirement to declare it after becoming an MP. However, following a complaint from the Conservative Party, the parliamentary standards watchdog, Daniel Greenberg, has launched a formal investigation into whether Farage should have disclosed the donation.
Healey's Specific Questions
In his letter, Healey noted that AML Global supplies jet fuel through a network of over 1,200 locations worldwide, including in Central Asia, the Gulf, and Eastern Europe. He posed three key questions to Farage:
- Can Farage confirm that none of the profits financing the £5 million gift came from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies?
- Can he confirm that AML Global has fully complied with all Russia sanctions?
- Can he assure that no fuel sourced from Russian-controlled refineries has passed through AML Global's supply chain?
Healey added: "If you cannot answer either question with confidence, will you commit to a fully independent audit of AML Global's supply chain and publish the results?"
Iran War Concerns
Healey also questioned whether Farage was aware of a potential benefit to Harborne's company from rising aviation fuel prices when he made supportive comments about the attack on Iran. The defence secretary wrote: "The public is entitled to ask whether your financial interests were impacting on your political positioning and your initial support for throwing the UK armed forces headlong into a war in the Middle East without a plan."
Call for Transparency
Healey emphasised that he is not asking Farage to return the money but to open the books. "If the answers are as clean as you would no doubt claim, that transparency will cost you nothing. If they are not, the public has every right to know," he wrote.
A spokesperson for AML Global stated: "AML Global is committed to operating in full compliance with US, UK, EU and UN sanctions programmes and with any additional restrictions required by our business and banking partners. We screen all new counter-parties against a database of US (OFAC), UK (OFSI), EU and UN security council sanctions. Counter-parties include suppliers, customers and banks. We also re-screen existing counter-parties on a regular basis."
Reform UK and Farage have been contacted for comment.
