Spy chiefs should probe Nigel Farage’s ‘compromised’ cellphone demand as new questions emerge
The Lib Dems have written to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) saying it is ‘unthinkable’ that there would be no full investigation if Nigel Farage’s phone had been hacked, as he claims
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Top spies must probe whether Nigel Farage’s phone was actually hacked as he claims, MPs have demanded.
There are also calls to block him from Whitehall’s wifi and prevent him from contacting ministers and officials after he alleged his device had been compromised. The Refom UK leader has claimed details of his £5million gift from a Thailand-based billionaire – which he wanted to keep secret – only became public after he was targeted by hackers linked to the Kremlin.
The Lib Dems have written to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), saying it is “unthinkable” that a party leader would be allowed to carry a phone that might have been accessed by a foreign adversary. Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “In making this public claim, he has effectively admitted that as an elected UK politician, his phone is a hotbed for Russian kompromat.”
And she added: “If a political party leader has had his communications compromised by a foreign adversary, it poses an alarming threat to our entire democracy. To leave a phone that is allegedly under the control of the Russian state uninvestigated is completely unthinkable. That is why I am urging the National Cyber Security Centre to investigate the claims without delay.”
A furious Mr Farage blamed hackers for accessing details of the seven-figure sum he was given by crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne shortly before the 2024 general election. Last month it emerged the gift – which Mr Farage has claimed pays for his security but which he also branded a reward for Brexit campaigning – had not been declared.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is investigating the undeclared sum. Parliamentary rules state political donations and gifts in the 12 months before becoming an MP must be declared, but Reform claims it was an “unconditional personal gift”.
Mr Farage told the Mail on Sunday that “foreign state actors” – most likely linked to Moscow – had accessed his phone. The Guardian, which first revealed Mr Farage had been given the money, accused him of hiding behind a baseless attack on the media to avoid scrutiny.
But former NCSC head Ciaran Martin has since dismissed this claim as “entirely unsubstantiated”. Pressure is mounting on Mr Farage to provide evidence after Reform sources told the Mail on Sunday that “counter-espionage experts” had found his phone had been compromised.
Labour chair Anna Turley has already vowed to report the matter to police or security services if Mr Farage does not prove he has done so.
In her letter to NCSC chief Richard Horne, Ms Cooper wrote: “Currently Mr Farage has failed to publish any evidence of this hacking incident or that the claims have been verified by security agencies. He has given no indication he plans to hand in his phone to the relevant authorities for further investigation, as has been suggested by some security experts.
“This means that the leader of a political party has said his phone is compromised by a foreign adversary, and that this is being used to leak scandalous revelations about his conduct, and yet no steps have been taken to prevent this hack being repeated – either on Mr Farage or any other British politician.”
In a seperate letter to the National Security Secretariat, Lib Dem frontbencher Lisa Smart called for Mr Farage to be prevented from receiving privileged information, espcially those relating to matters of national security.
He also called for him to be blocked from government Wifi networks and banned from bringing his allegedly compromised phone to meetings with senior Whitehall figures. He must also be forbidden from making calls to ministers or officials on his mobile, Ms Smart said.
She wrote: “If Mr Farage means what he says then it is of paramount importance that further scandalous behaviour which could be used to blackmail him is identified, and that his supposedly compromised phone is not able to leak sensitive information to the Russian state.”
The Mirror has contacted Reform UK and the NSCS for comment. On Wednesday a Reform spokesperson claimed it had been reported, but did not say to who. They said: “It has been reported to the relevant authorities. It would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.”
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) could not say if a report had been made. A spokesperson said: “We stand ready to support with any suspected cyber incident that is reported to us. Defending democracy is always our priority and we provide a range of expert guidance, support and active cyber defence services to help protect individuals from online attacks.”
