Nigel Farage may face two probes over £5m present as deputy requested if he accepted extra
Richard Tice refused to tell the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg if Nigel Farage had received any more multi-million pound gifts after it emerged he accepted £5m from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP
Nigel Farage (Image: Getty Images)
Nigel Farage is expected to find out this week if he will be probed over a £5million gift from a crypto-billionaire.
The Reform UK leader is facing questions after it emerged he had accepted the cash from Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne in 2024, shortly before he stood as an MP.
On Sunday his deputy, Richard Tice, refused to say whether his boss had accepted any more undeclared multi-million pound gifts from wealthy donors.
Mr Farage could face two separate investigations over the money. He maintains it was a personal gift with no strings attached, so he did nothing wrong.
The Electoral Commission is expected to announce whether it will launch a formal probe within days. The regulator has received a number of complaints questioning whether election law was broken.
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Mr Farage could also face a Parliamentary standards investigation, as rules state that political donations and political gifts in the 12 months before entering Parliament must be declared.
On Sunday his deputy, Richard Tice insisted his leader had done nothing wrong as it was a personal gift to pay for the Reform chief’s security. But he refused to say if there were any more such gifts that the public is unaware of.
He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I look after my own finances. and Nigel looks after his.” And he hit out over the line of questioning, saying: “You keep on with this, trying to smear us and sneer at us. We’re sick of it. And the voters are sick of it.”
After the gift was uncovered by The Guardian earlier this month, the Tories called on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to investigate. Reform has insisted Mr Harborne – who has donated millions to Reform UK, including a record-breaking £9m last year – handed over the cash as an “unconditional personal gift”.
Anna Turley, chair of the Labour Party, said: “Once again, Farage and his MPs clearly believe there’s one rule for them and another for everyone else.
“Serious questions remain unanswered after Nigel Farage appeared to once again breach the rules by failing to declare money from his billionaire backer. He didn’t just take the cash and fail to declare it – he announced a crypto tax cut policy that would directly benefit his secret donor.
“Reform have consistently attempted to dodge scrutiny.” Earlier this year Mr Farage unveiled plans to cut capital gains taxes on crypto assets to 10% – down from its current 24%.
She pointed to questions about Mr Tice’s business dealings amid questions over whether his company failed to pay almost £100,000 in corporation tax.
In a statement last month, Mr Tice said: “Naturally I am always happy to put things right and if numbers need rechecking, of course I will pay what is owed – be that more or less.”
Ms Turley said: “Deputy leader Richard Tice still refuses to answer over his own tax scandal. Reform are simply riding roughshod over public trust in politics.”
But Mr Tice suggested that voters do not care, telling the BBC: “The reality is, voters have been made aware of all of this and have said: `We want more Nigel, we want more Reform leadership, we want more Reform councillors.’ The rules are very clear and Nigel has complied with the rules.”
Asked whether any of the money was spent on other political activity, Mr Tice said: “Nigel’s safety and security is absolutely paramount. And I know, because I spend a lot of time with Nigel, that frankly £5 million is probably not enough.”
On Friday a tetchy Mr Farage complained an interview with Sky News was a “waste of time” as he faced questions over the gift. He denied it looked dodgy and insisted there was no need to declare it.
“It’s not political, it’s purely personal and within the rules, which I read carefully,” he said.
