Labour has urged the elections watchdog to investigate Nigel Farage over financial support provided by long-term ally George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster. The Reform UK leader is under pressure after reports that Cottrell funded security and staffing for Farage in the year before he was elected to Parliament.
Labour's call for investigation
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley wrote to the Electoral Commission, asking it to probe whether the support should have been declared, given Farage's prominent role in Reform even before returning to frontline politics. The party also questioned whether Cottrell, based in Montenegro, was a permissible donor, as it is unclear if he was on a UK electoral register at the time.
Turley said: "It is now abundantly clear that Mr Farage may have not only broken Parliamentary rules, he may have broken the law. Farage can’t brazenly brush this off as being ‘none of your business’ any longer. He needs to own his self-inflicted scandal and prove he’s not been secretly breaking the rules and taking the British public for fools."
Farage denies wrongdoing, Trump backs him
Farage said he has "done no wrongdoing" after The Sunday Times investigation into his ties with Cottrell. He appeared to win backing from US President Donald Trump, who shared an article on Truth Social titled "They’re Running the 2024 Anti-Trump Playbook on Nigel Farage." Trump also personally called Farage to congratulate him on his political success in ousting Sir Keir Starmer from No 10, according to The Times.
Gifts and parliamentary rules
Under rules in place at the time of Farage's election in 2024, new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 received in the previous 12 months, unless the gift "could not be reasonably thought by others" to relate to their political activities. Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage's social media before the general election and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property near Buckingham Palace.
The Liberal Democrats have also demanded a parliamentary sleaze inquiry. Parliament's standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, is already investigating a £5 million gift Farage received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne. If found to have breached rules, Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension, triggering a recall petition and by-election.
Farage's angry response
When approached by a Sky News journalist at an airport, Farage reacted angrily, saying: "You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more… serious consequences. That’s what your organisation has done this morning. Go away." Sky said it had not contacted anyone from Farage's family about the story.
Farage issued a statement saying he had not broken any rules and is considering legal action against The Sunday Times. He added: "It’s now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform – we want to smash their cosy consensus."
Cottrell's background
George Cottrell was jailed for eight months in the US in 2017 after pleading guilty to wire fraud for attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web by masquerading as a money launderer. He was arrested as he and Farage travelled back to Britain after a trip to the US. Cottrell remains a close adviser to Farage, having first become involved in Ukip as a volunteer before the Brexit referendum. Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said Cottrell is an "old friend" of Farage with "no formal role within Reform."
