Nigel Farage has been warned that his dismissal of fresh allegations as an “establishment hit job” could backfire, leading to a harsher punishment if he is found to have broken Commons rules. The warning came from Harriet Harman, a Labour peer and former chair of the Commons standards committee, who said attacking the system could be seen as an aggravating factor.
New Allegations Surface
Farage is already under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, for failing to declare a £5m donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Now, The Sunday Times has published further allegations that Farage did not declare gifts from a crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud. The commissioner is being urged to investigate these new claims as well.
Farage's Response
In a statement to the Daily Express, Farage claimed he was the victim of an “establishment hit job” and 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.” However, past threats of legal action by Farage have often proven empty.
Harman's Warning
Speaking on the Today programme, Harman said Farage should have instead expressed cooperation with the investigation. “By Nigel Farage saying this is an establishment hit job – what he should be saying is ‘These rules are important, they keep our parliament clean, I’m going to at all times comply with them, I have complied with them. I’ll cooperate with the investigation, and I’m confident I’ll be found not to have broken the rules.’ But he’s not doing that. He’s attacking and trying to delegitimise the system. And if it comes to a finding by the commissioner that he has been in breach of the rules, the way he’s conducted himself whilst he’s been under investigation will be taken as an aggravating fact when it comes to the penalty.”
Potential Consequences
There is no precedent for an MP wrongly failing to declare a donation as large as £5m. If the commissioner finds against Farage, the standards committee could suspend him from parliament for more than 10 days. Such a suspension would trigger a recall by-election in his Clacton constituency.
Political Context
Farage's troubles come as Reform UK's electoral threat appears to be waning. A Guardian long read published at the weekend explored reasons why some in Reform UK believe the Farage era may be ending. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to resign in two weeks, with Andy Burnham expected to replace him, partly due to the rise of Farage's party.
