Nigel Farage has said he “wasn’t even listening” during a meeting where evading the law on accepting donations from overseas was discussed. The comments came in an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, recorded on Saturday and broadcast on Sunday morning, as Reform UK faced a backlash over a Channel 4 News sting.
Reform UK in Tailspin Over Sting
The Channel 4 News investigation appeared to show the party was “intensely relaxed” about breaking the law by taking money from overseas. Initially, Reform dismissed it as a hoax and an “establishment plot” carried out by anti-establishment climate protesters. As pressure mounted, Dan Jukes, Farage’s long-term protege, and James Orr, the lawyer turned Cambridge academic turned Reform head of policy, left the party.
In the interview, Farage sought to distance himself from any wrongdoing. He suggested that the person in the film that people said was him was “actually an avatar”. He insisted he had not been listening as those around him discussed in detail how they planned to break the law and how they had done so in the past, describing it as “pub talk”.
Farage’s Denials and Distancing
Farage denied knowing he had been funded by foreign money, despite saying the polling had been “amazing”, provided “bang for buck”, and “it had worked – boom”. He also thanked the donors in the meeting. He called Jukes and Orr “injudicious at best”, adding that he had never been close to Jukes and that Orr was “an ingenu” and “a dreamer”. He said they had been “freelancing” and did not really work for Reform.
Farage argued that as Reform leader, it was not his job to be the compliance officer, even though he was reportedly the world’s leading expert on party donation rules. He said his job was to be the front man, smile, and shake hands.
Dispute Over Meeting Details
When Kuenssberg suggested Farage appeared to be up to speed as the potential donor outlined how a scheme would break the law and told him “it’s all above board”, Farage said he had actually asked “Is it all above board?” as a question, not a statement. He attributed his lack of listening to hearing difficulties, which he said made him turn every sentence on his head. The potential donor in the meeting had offered £500,000, having already given more than £30,000 for an opinion poll.
