Nigel Farage is under mounting pressure to provide evidence for his claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure of a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Reform UK alleged over the weekend that analysis of Farage's phone by 'counter-espionage experts' suggested his devices were compromised by hostile actors 'almost certainly linked to Moscow'.
Farage told the Mail on Sunday that the alleged Russian activity was 'deeply concerning' and highlighted the 'threat they pose to British security'. The claims follow scrutiny of the undeclared gift, which the Guardian revealed last month. Farage had not publicly registered the donation despite parliamentary transparency rules.
A spokesperson for the Guardian described Farage's claim as 'an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs', adding it was 'absurd' to suggest the newspaper had obtained the information from a Russian hack. Labour and the Conservatives have called on Farage to hand any evidence to Britain's security services.
Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative Party chair, said: 'If he has genuine evidence that Russia attempted to hack him, he should immediately hand it to the relevant authorities.' A Labour spokesperson added: 'Given the seriousness of these claims, Nigel Farage needs to reassure the public that he's reported this to the security services.'
It is understood the National Cyber Security Centre is not aware of any report from Farage related to the alleged hack. Farage's spokesperson did not respond to questions about who he had reported the matter to or how the examination suggested Russian involvement.
