Nigel Farage makes ‘absurd’ declare about Russian hackers and £5m present
Reform UK chief Nigel Farage faces a standards probe after it emerged he had been given £5million by a Thailand-based cryto billionaire – which he dubbed a “reward for campaigning for Brexit”
Nigel Farage says he had no obligation to declare the gift.(Image: Getty Images)
Nigel Farage now claims Russian spies hacked his phone to obtain details of his controversial £5million gift.
Mr Farage is being probed by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over whether he broke Commons rules by not declaring a £5million gift from Christopher Harborne. Mr Farage says he had no obligation to declare the gift.
Sources say the Reform UK leader became ‘intensely suspicious’ that he had been compromised by ‘foreign state actors’ after last month’s revelation about the donation made by Thai-based Christopher Harborne.
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Reform UK has claimed the cash was “a personal, unconditional gift” with no rules broken. Mr Farage said the money was to pay for his own personal security needs, later describing it as a “reward” for Brexit campaigning.
He faces questions over why he did not declare the £5m he received from Mr Harborne. Parliamentary rules mean new MPs have to declare relevant gifts and donations in the 12 months before their election.
The story about the donation first appeared in The Guardian. There is no suggestion the newspaper was complicit in, or aware of, any illegal activity, but Mr Farage added: “This shocking revelation brings into question The Guardian’s judgment and whether Reform can cooperate with them in future.”
In an interview with The Sun, Mr Farage voiced his anger that details of the gift had been made public – saying this was a “disgrace”. Asked about the money – which he insists pays for his security, Mr Farage said: “This shouldn’t be in the public domain.”
According to MailOnline a source at The Guardian contested Mr Farage’s allegations about its journalism, saying: “This is an absurd claim and an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs. Nigel Farage is once again hiding behind a baseless attack on the media rather than facing up to scrutiny from journalists and politicians. He has repeatedly failed to answer serious public interest questions about the £5 million gift he received.”
Nigel Farage now claims Russian spies hacked his phone to obtain details of his controversial £5million gift. A party source said: “Only four people in the world knew about the donation, and so Nigel decided to submit his mobile phone for forensic analysis by counter-espionage experts.
“They concluded that hostile state actors, almost certainly linked to Moscow, had used “spear phishing” tactics to compromise his phone, email and bank accounts.”
Mr Farage told The Mail on Sunday: “These actions by Russia are deeply concerning and highlight the threat they pose to British security.”
It comes as Nigel Farage insists there is no connection between the £5million gift and his £1.4m house he bought soon afterward.
