Nigel Farage is facing mounting pressure to provide evidence for his claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack led to the disclosure of a £5 million gift he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Reform UK alleged over the weekend that analysis of Farage's phone by 'counter-espionage experts' suggested his devices were compromised by 'hostile actors, almost certainly linked to Moscow' before the Guardian revealed details of the undeclared gift last month.
Farage told the Mail on Sunday that the alleged Russian activity was 'deeply concerning'. However, a Guardian spokesperson dismissed the claim as 'an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs', adding that it was 'absurd' to suggest the newspaper learned of the gift from a Russian hack.
Labour and the Conservatives have called on Farage to hand any evidence to Britain's security services. Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative Party chair, said: 'If he has genuine evidence that Russia attempted to hack him, he should immediately hand it to the relevant authorities.' A Labour spokesperson added: 'Given the seriousness of these claims, Nigel Farage needs to reassure the public that he's reported this to the security services.'
It is understood the National Cyber Security Centre is not aware of any report from Farage regarding the alleged hack. Farage's spokesperson did not respond to questions about who he had reported the matter to or whether any evidence was handed to British authorities.
The £5 million gift, which Farage initially claimed was for security purposes, has faced scrutiny over whether it should have been declared under parliamentary transparency rules. Farage has described it as a 'gift' rather than a donation, but a Reform source quoted in the Mail on Sunday referred to it as a donation.
