Allegations of Undeclared Payments
Nigel Farage is facing fresh scrutiny over claims that he was secretly funded by a convicted criminal in the year before he entered Parliament, potentially breaching MPs' rules by failing to declare the payments. George Cottrell, a long-time aide, reportedly provided funding for the Reform UK leader's operation, including staffing, security, and housing.
According to The Sunday Times, Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage's social media before the 2024 general election. He also continued to allow Farage to use a five-storey Georgian townhouse near Buckingham Palace that Cottrell rented.
Registration of Interests
After becoming MP for Clacton, 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 was declared. Under the rules at the time, 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 to relate to their political activities. The rules also required MPs to consider the purpose of the register to provide information about financial interests that might reasonably be thought to influence their actions.
George Cottrell's Background
Cottrell is a crypto-gambling entrepreneur involved in offshore bookmaker Tether.bet. He reportedly remains a close adviser to Farage after first becoming involved in Ukip as a volunteer before the Brexit referendum. In 2017, Cottrell was jailed for eight months in the US 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 following a trip to the US.
Reform UK's Response
Reform UK denied any wrongdoing, stating: "It comes as no surprise that The Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician, let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election. Contrary to the story's tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken."
Ongoing Investigation
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 Farage should have registered the gift. If found to have breached the rules, Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a by-election in his seat. The Clacton MP has given various explanations for the gift, including that it was to pay for his personal security.
Labour's Call for Investigation
Labour has called for a financial watchdog probe into whether Farage's advocacy for cryptocurrency has benefitted Reform mega-donor Harborne, after reports he lobbied the Bank of England governor to scrap plans for a state-run digital currency. A party spokesperson said: "Nigel Farage and Reform are engulfed in a huge and growing scandal. It's not going to go away, and trying to take the public for fools by saying it's 'none of your business' won't help. These new allegations of secret payments from a wealthy convicted criminal are on top of the ongoing scandal of his secret £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire. How much money has he been given, what did his donors get in return, and why has he tried to cover them up and avoid legitimate questions?"
