Nigel Farage’s gorgeous record of VIP freebies whereas ‘ignoring’ Clacton locals

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been criticised for his globe-trotting trips – which include a flight to Abu Dhabi where he was given £10,000 in paddock passes and hotels

Nigel Farage has trousered thousands in cash and jetted more than 50,000 miles across the globe since the election – including a VIP trip to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The Reform UK leader was handed paddock passes and hotels worth £10,000 by the Abu Dhabi Government to watch the glitzy F1 race in the UAE last month, records reveal. And a probe by the Mirror shows he’s made more than £20,000 from lucrative speaking engagements across the US in Washington, Michigan and Arizona since the July 2024 election.

Farage – nicknamed “Nine Jobs Nigel” for his money-spinning side hustles outside of his £93,904-a-year salary as an MP – was today criticised for his globe-trotting trips. Ivan Henderson, who represented Harwich and Clacton from 1997 to 2005, said during his time as an MP he made it his priority to be in his constituency when not in Parliament.

Now Labour’s Deputy Council Leader of Tendring District Council, Coun Henderson said: “Mr Farage should be dealing with the needs of his constituents and the problems they are facing, issues which are right under his nose. He should not be focusing on boosting his own bank account and jetting off on expensive freebies like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, paid for by foreign donors.”

And Peter Kotz, Deputy Leader of the Labour Group at Tendring District Council, said: “Mr Farage visits Clacton for a photo opportunity where he can stand holding a pint and paint himself as a man of the people. But parts of Clacton are some of the most deprived in the UK and he is doing very little to help those people.

“I’ve had a number of constituents come to me with issues saying they have tried to get help from Mr Farage and his office. But he is abroad in places like Abu Dhabi when his prime duty should be to represent his constituents.”

Meanwhile retired Clacton resident Jonathan Robert, 64, told the Mirror he had never seen Farage. He said: “He uses Clacton for his own political purposes, it doesn’t seem as if he has much interest in representing the interests of the constituents. His politics don’t really represent the interests of the constituents. His politics are not for Clacton.”

An analysis of Farage’s Register of Interests reveals he has pocketed huge sums in travel from donors and authorities around the world. Just last month Farage – who previously drove a Volvo and has enjoyed chauffeur driven trips in his Range Rover – jetted to Abu Dhabi for the December 7 race.

The emirate, led by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, footed the bill for the F1 freebie, paying £9,000 for two paddock passes at the Yas Marina Circuit and £1,000 for hotels. Farage, 61, posted pictures alongside the team principal of Alpine, Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, 75.

Farage captioned the picture: “In the Abu Dhabi paddock for the Formula 1 season-finale.” He joined the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Katy Perry and Camila Cabello who all flew out to the UAE capital for the glamorous 2025 race. But his Record of Interests revealed he was given the tickets by the Abu Dhabi Government – which has faced criticism for its record on human rights.

As well as the circuit-side access, he confirmed he was also given another ticket for the event for a “non-staff member” but did reveal their identity. The records claim Farage was in Abu Dhabi “to attend the F1 and for meetings”.

It is understood he watched the race with billionaire Reform tycoon Nick Candy before the pair met senior Emirati figures in the UAE to secure donations to the party. While Farage – who previously took a swipe at former F1 world champ Lewis Hamilton over his stance on slavery – jetted more than 7,000 miles to watch Red Bull’s Max Verstappen take top spot, his constituents in Clacton were left fighting for themselves.

On December 2, days before the race, Essex University announced it would close Southend Campus in summer 2026 with plans to cut approximately 400 staff positions. And on December 7, the day Farage posed with A-listers in the UAE heat, it emerged he faced allegations he broke rules on spending during last year’s General Election campaign. The Electoral Commission and Essex Police both later said they would not investigate the spending.

Yesterday retired Clacton resident Tom Wade, 86, said: “He hasn’t been there long enough to pass judgement. I haven’t seen enough of his successes. Time will tell. “I wouldn’t vote for him tomorrow, there’s not enough there for me at the moment.” And Heather Wade, 83, said: “He’s a rude, ignorant man. I will never vote for him. He’s up Trump’s a**e.”

Asked about the trips, she said: “It is a problem for me, he’s not down here with the people enough. I will not ever vote for him.” Heather added: “He’s out to line his own pocket.” Farage’s own Register of Interests show he has clocked up more than 56,000 miles in flights across the globe since being elected.

But that figure does not take into account the trips he paid for himself – meaning the true scale of his globe-trotting will be far higher. In total Farage – who calls net zero “lunacy” that destroys jobs and drives up household bills – has made at least SIXTEEN climate-busting flights for different engagements.

In total his register of interests say donors have splashed more than £110,000 on flights and swanky hotels for Farage and his team. Among the trips Farage attended a “Helping a Hero” veterans’ party at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in November. Bassim Haidar, who recently said he was leaving the UK because of Labour’s changes to non-dom status, paid £55,000 to cover the cost of three flights for Farage.

Farage’s register lists his own flight as costing nearly £20,000. While he says it was to attend a “speaking engagement and charity event”, he makes no reference to the event itself.

A spokesman for Nigel Farage said: “Nigel Farage is an active Member of Parliament for Clacton. He makes regular donations to charities and good causes, writes a column for the local newspaper and will host a Clacton business surgery in the constituency next week.

“As the leader of a national political party leading in the last 185 opinion polls, he has also voted more times in the House of Commons than Kemi and Keir put together since July 2024. Every single voter in Clacton will be the judge of Nigel’s record at the next general election — not Daily Mirror reporters or opposition councillors with an axe to grind.”