Former Welsh Political Leader Sentenced for Grave Betrayal
Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales and a one-time close associate of Nigel Farage, has been sentenced to ten and a half years in prison after admitting to eight counts of bribery. The 52-year-old accepted thousands of pounds from Russian interests to deliver scripted speeches and promote a pro-Kremlin agenda during his time as a Member of the European Parliament.
How Counter-Terrorism Police Uncovered the Plot
The criminal scheme was uncovered by counter-terrorism officers who discovered incriminating WhatsApp messages on Gill's phone. He was stopped at Manchester Airport in September 2021 under the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, leading to further searches at his home in Anglesey, North Wales.
The messages revealed a detailed arrangement between Gill and Oleg Voloshyn, a Ukrainian politician described by US authorities as a pawn of Russian security services. The court heard that Gill agreed to receive payments, often referred to as "Xmas gifts", in exchange for political services.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC told the court there was "clear evidence of agreements to act in a particular way, or to a particular script, for sums of money". The illegal activities spanned eight months from September 2018.
A Systematic Compromise of Democratic Institutions
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, delivering the sentence, stated that Gill had committed a "grave betrayal" of his constituents and the democratic process. She emphasised that his crimes were "motivated by financial and political gain" and that he had "fundamentally compromised the integrity of a supranational legislative body".
The judge highlighted the particular seriousness of Gill's actions given they benefited "Russia, a persistently hostile state" during a sensitive period of EU-Ukraine relations following their 2017 association agreement.
Gill's specific offences included using a 2018 parliamentary speech to defend Ukrainian TV channels 112 Ukraine and NewsOne, which were linked to Vladimir Putin's ally Viktor Medvedchuk. He made further pro-Russian media contributions in December 2018 and March 2019, and appeared on the channels supporting Medvedchuk while the Putin ally faced treason charges.
The court heard that Gill also arranged for other MEPs to speak to 112 Ukraine and hosted a presentation with Medvedchuk, all in exchange for clandestine cash payments believed to be around £5,000 per offence.
Political Fallout and Reaction
Gill served as an MEP from 2014 to 2020, initially for UKIP and later for the Brexit Party. He was leader of UKIP Wales from 2014 to 2016 while Nigel Farage led the party nationally, and briefly led Reform UK Wales from March to May 2021.
Following Gill's guilty plea, Nigel Farage described his former associate as a "bad apple" and expressed shock at the admissions. The defence counsel, Peter Wright KC, emphasised that no other leading political figures were involved in or aware of the bribery scheme.
In mitigation, Wright stated that Gill "recognises the enormity of what he has done and the betrayal of the trust placed in him". The disgraced politician pleaded guilty to all charges.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's counter terrorism command, said the investigation revealed "an elected MEP was taking payments to peddle narratives that would have had the effect of being beneficial towards Russian interests". He added that the case "goes to the heart of our democratic values" and demonstrated their commitment to investigating those who seek to undermine national security.
