Nigel Farage is under mounting pressure to provide evidence for his claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure of a £5m 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”.
Farage told the Mail on Sunday that the alleged Russian activity was “deeply concerning” and highlighted the “threat they pose to British security”. However, a spokesperson for the Guardian, which originally reported the undeclared gift, described the claim as “an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs”.
Labour and the Conservatives have called on Farage to hand any evidence to Britain’s security services. Kevin Hollinrake, chair of the Conservative Party, 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 related to 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 £5m gift from Harborne, one of the UK’s wealthiest crypto investors, was given to Farage before he announced his candidacy in the 2024 general election. Farage initially claimed the money was for security purposes, later describing it as a “reward for campaigning for Brexit”. He has not declared the gift despite parliamentary transparency rules.
