Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accepted gifts of travel and hospitality worth more than £110,000 from donors and foreign governments since becoming an MP, an investigation reveals. The findings have sparked criticism that he is prioritising globe-trotting and lucrative speaking engagements over his duties to his constituents in Clacton.
Lavish Gifts and Climate-Busting Flights
An analysis of Farage's Register of Interests shows a pattern of high-value hospitality. Most notably, in December 2025, the Abu Dhabi Government provided him with paddock passes and hotels worth £10,000 to attend the Formula 1 Grand Prix season finale. Farage, 61, posted images from the Yas Marina Circuit alongside Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore and mingled with celebrities including Katy Perry.
The records state the trip was "to attend the F1 and for meetings." It is understood he attended with billionaire Reform supporter Nick Candy, with the pair later meeting senior Emirati figures to discuss party donations. This trip alone involved a 7,000-mile round journey.
Overall, the register shows donors have funded over £110,000 on flights and hotels for Farage and his team since the July 2024 election. He has taken at least sixteen long-haul flights for various engagements. One donor, Bassim Haidar, paid £55,000 for three flights, including one for a "Helping a Hero" veterans' event at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in November 2025.
Constituency Concerns and Local Criticism
While Farage was in Abu Dhabi, significant issues were unfolding in his Essex constituency. On 2 December 2025, Essex University announced the closure of its Southend Campus, threatening around 400 jobs. Furthermore, on the day of the Grand Prix, 7 December, allegations surfaced that Farage had breached election spending rules during the 2024 campaign, though the Electoral Commission and Essex Police later decided not to investigate.
Local politicians and residents have voiced strong criticism. Ivan Henderson, Labour's Deputy Leader of Tendring District Council and a former MP for the area, said: "Mr Farage should be dealing with the needs of his constituents... He should not be focusing on boosting his own bank account and jetting off on expensive freebies."
Peter Kotz, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group at the council, accused Farage of using Clacton for "photo opportunities" while doing little to help in one of the UK's most deprived areas. Retired resident Jonathan Robert, 64, told reporters he had never seen his MP and claimed Farage uses the town "for his own political purposes."
'Nine Jobs Nigel' and the Scale of Travel
Farage, who earns a salary of £93,904 as an MP and has been nicknamed "Nine Jobs Nigel" for his external ventures, has also earned more than £20,000 from speaking engagements in the US since the election. His register confirms he has flown more than 56,000 miles on donor-funded trips alone, a figure that excludes any travel he paid for personally.
Other residents shared their disillusionment. Heather Wade, 83, said: "He’s a rude, ignorant man... It is a problem for me, he’s not down here with the people enough. He’s out to line his own pocket." Her husband Tom, 86, was more cautious but unimpressed: "He hasn’t been there long enough to pass judgement. I wouldn’t vote for him tomorrow, there’s not enough there for me at the moment."
The revelations present a stark contrast between the international lifestyle of the Reform UK leader and the challenges faced by the coastal community he was elected to represent.
