Nigel Farage is facing mounting pressure over allegations of unlawful foreign donations to Reform UK, with police now following the money in an existing probe. The controversy has deepened after explosive accusations against the party and its leader, prompting Farage to appear on Laura Kuenssberg's show after months of avoiding interviews.
Farage's interview appearance signals concern
Farage, who has been criticised for cancelling and refusing to answer questions since it emerged he received a £5 million personal gift from a Thai-based crypto-billionaire who would benefit financially from Reform policies, finally agreed to face questioning. His appearance confirmed he is worried about a scandal where "looks bad" does not do it justice.
During the interview, Farage hinted he considered walking away from politics during the summer, having "some very thoughtful moments" and his family "begging" him to go after beating a bin was not the Clacton by-election triumph he plotted.
Aides sacrificed to protect the leader
The most revealing moment came in footage screened on Channel 4, where Farage's key aide James Orr, sacrificed along with even closer aide Dan Jukes to save the boss's skin, said unlawful foreign money paying for a Reform poll was something Farage "doesn't know, won't know" and was the kind of thing he would "rather not know".
Critics argue that leaders create the culture, drawing a parallel with Boris Johnson's No 10 resembling a nightclub during Covid. Farage's contention that he is innocent, a victim of the latest bomb exploding under Reform, is described as laughable.
Police probe and falling polls
This time Farage is not saying it is nobody else's business, as he did over the £5 million, because police are following the money in an existing probe and the latest scandal stinks to high heaven. With Reform falling in the polls and inquiries mounting, Labour Mayor Andy Burnham is fast becoming the luckiest man in politics.
