Nigel Farage has claimed he is the victim of an “establishment hit job” as he faced calls for an investigation into financial support given to him by a convicted criminal. The Reform UK leader insisted he had committed “no wrongdoing” and had followed the rules as he came under intense scrutiny over the support given to him by long-term associate George Cottrell.
Allegations of undisclosed benefits
Cottrell provided funding for the Reform UK leader’s operation, including staffing, security and the use of a London townhouse, according to The Sunday Times. The newspaper said Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.
Under rules in place at the time of Mr Farage’s election in 2024, new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
Farage and allies defend actions
Mr Farage said: “I have done no wrongdoing, followed the rules and I am now considering legal action against The Sunday Times. It’s now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform – we want to smash their cosy consensus.”
Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said Cottrell is an “old friend” of Mr Farage and has “no formal role within Reform”. Mr Jenrick told broadcasters that “no rules have been broken whatsoever” and with speculation at Westminster about Mr Farage’s future, said the party leader is “not going anywhere”.
The Times reported Cottrell handed out a business card printed with his name, the Reform UK logo and Nigel Farage’s official email address, despite having no formal role in the party.
Registration of previous gifts
After becoming the MP for Clacton in 2024, Mr Farage registered a £9,000 trip to Belgium donated by Cottrell, and belatedly added £15,000 for a US domestic flight, but no other support. Asked if Cottrell paid for Mr Farage’s security and staff in 2024, Mr Jenrick told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme he did but this was “before he became a Member of Parliament”.
The Newark MP added: “It’s perfectly legitimate for a personal friend to offer you security. The question really is, did he need to report this? No, because it was a personal friend, and it was before he was a Member of Parliament.”
Cottrell’s criminal record and role
Cottrell was jailed for eight months in the US in 2017 after pleading guilty to a charge of wire fraud after admitting attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web by masquerading as a money launderer. He was arrested as he and Mr Farage travelled back to Britain following a trip to the US.
Asked if Mr Farage stayed in a townhouse that was being rented by Cottrell, Mr Jenrick said: “I believe Nigel has said that he stayed a couple of times there, very infrequently, as you’re allowed to.” Cottrell reportedly remains a close adviser to Mr Farage after first becoming involved in Ukip as a volunteer in the run-up to the Brexit referendum.
Calls for investigation
The Liberal Democrats called for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate. Party president Josh Babarinde said: “Given the value and nature of the support described, there is a serious question as to whether Mr Farage met his obligations under the Code of Conduct for MPs”.
A Labour spokesperson said: “Reform can’t shrug this scandal off and hope it goes away. Nigel Farage has been secretly funded by a convicted criminal, and Jenrick cannot explain why. The truth is, Farage and his party are just in it for themselves – they’re entirely unfit for office.”
Previous undisclosed gift under scrutiny
Mr Farage is already facing questions about an undisclosed £5 million gift from Thai-based billionaire Christopher Harborne. Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is investigating whether Mr Farage should have registered the gift.
If found to have breached the rules, Mr Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a by-election in his seat. Asked about the undisclosed gift from Mr Harborne, Mr Jenrick told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “There’s nothing wrong with it whatsoever. It’s a private gift from a friend to Nigel.” He added that Reform is “very confident” the investigation will be dismissed.
The Clacton MP has given various explanations for the gift, including that it was to pay for his personal security. Labour has called for a financial watchdog probe into whether Mr Farage’s advocacy for cryptocurrency has benefitted Reform mega-donor Mr Harborne, after reports he lobbied the Bank of England governor to scrap plans for a state-run, digital currency.
Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell told Times Radio the investigation into Mr Farage should be expanded to include benefits he received from Cottrell. Cottrell, a crypto-gambling entrepreneur involved in offshore bookmaker Tether.bet, could also stand to gain from Mr Farage’s championing of crypto, according to The Sunday Times.
