Sir Keir Starmer has delivered a scathing parliamentary attack on Nigel Farage, demanding he immediately investigate potential Russian infiltration within the Reform UK party.
Senior Reform figure jailed for Russian bribes
The Labour leader's intervention follows the extraordinary sentencing of Reform UK's former Welsh leader Nathan Gill to ten and a half years in prison. Gill admitted accepting substantial bribes to deliver pro-Russian scripts while serving as a Member of the European Parliament between 2014 and 2020.
Addressing the Commons on Monday, Starmer described the situation as "shocking and extraordinary", highlighting that a senior party official received a "very significant sentence" of over ten years for activities benefiting Russian interests.
Growing pressure for full investigation
Starmer directly challenged Reform's leadership, stating: "The Reform leadership should have the courage to launch an investigation. How on earth did that happen in their party? And what other links are there?"
The pressure intensified when Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also condemned Reform's stance, noting recent Royal Navy interceptions of Russian ships in UK waters and incidents of Russian spy ships targeting RAF pilots.
Badenoch remarked: "It is a disgrace that Reform are still blaming NATO for Russia's aggression. Perhaps it should come as no surprise when their former leader in Wales was sent to prison last week for taking bribes from Putin."
Farage resists investigation calls
Despite mounting political pressure, Nigel Farage has pushed back against demands for an internal probe. Speaking to broadcasters on Monday evening, the Reform leader stated simply: "We are not a police force."
The court revealed that Gill received at least £40,000 from former Ukrainian MP Oleg Voloshyn, who acted on behalf of Viktor Medvedchuk - a known personal friend of Vladimir Putin. Medvedchuk, owner of pro-Russian television network 112 Ukraine, faced treason accusations before being removed to Russia in a 2022 prisoner exchange following the invasion of Ukraine.
Starmer concluded that Reform's "pro-Putin approach" would prevent them from playing any constructive role in global alliances, particularly given Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
