Nigel Farage has been referred to parliament's standards watchdog after the Guardian revealed he received an undeclared £5m gift from a party donor. The referral, made by the Conservative party, cites rules requiring MPs to declare any 'personal benefit' received in the 12 months before taking office within a month of being elected.
The gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne fell within that period. Some personal gifts are exempt if they 'could not reasonably be thought by others to be related to membership of the house or to the member's parliamentary or political activities'. The rules add that both the possible motive of the giver and the use of the gift should be considered.
Farage had stated he did not intend to stand as an MP but U-turned in June 2024, weeks after receiving the gift. A Reform UK spokesperson said the gift and Farage's decision to stand were 'entirely unrelated'. Farage told the Daily Telegraph the gift was made because Harborne is 'an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety'.
Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory party chair, said Farage had been 'obliged' to declare the gift. 'This £5m from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne raises serious questions. What is Nigel Farage hiding? And why does Reform think the rules don't apply to them?'
Labour and Liberal Democrats also called for investigation. Labour's Anna Turley said it was 'the latest alarming example of Farage and his MPs believing there is one rule for them and another for everyone else'. Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat deputy leader, said: 'It looks like Farage has been bought out ... Farage must come clean on whether he promised anything to Harborne.'
A Reform UK spokesperson said the gift did not need to be declared as it was a 'personal unconditional gift', adding: 'We have complied with all relevant rules and regulations.'
