‘Nigel Farage’s ethics row hangs round Reform chief like a foul odor’
“No one cares, apart from the media. No one cares. No one cares at all,” a rattled Nigel Farage snapped in a recent round of disastrous interviews.
The Reform boss was on the back-foot as he failed to bat away questions over the £5million gift he received from the Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
The saga over the seven-figure sum – gifted before the general election – has lingered over him and his right-wing acolytes like a bad smell ever since it was reported in April.
Parliament’s ethics watchdog is currently investigating whether Farage broke the Commons rules over his failure to declare the gift. And over the weekend questions over Farage’s declarations exploded once more.
He was at the centre of a storm over separate allegations he failed to declare benefits from a convicted criminal before he was elected an MP.
It was claimed he accepted staffing, security and the use of a five-story Georgian townhouse from rich aristocrat George Cottrell – known as “Posh George”.
Farage – a career politician first elected as an MEP back in 1999 – has protested his innocence and claimed to be the victim of an “establishment hit-job” while his cronies have resorted to mud-slinging at the journalists involved in the story.
Farage may have claimed a fortnight ago that “no one cares,” but he clearly does.
Media appearances and press conferences have become noticeably less frequent and the story could be having cut-through with the public: A survey this week by pollsters Ipsos showed Reform’s lead over Labour dropping by four points since May.
It’s also worth remembering Farage made seven failed attempts at becoming an MP. He finally won a seat in the House of Commons representing Clacton on his eighth attempt in the 2024 general election.
But that seat could be at risk if the Commons standards probe concludes he broke the rules when it concludes the investigation into the £5million gift.
In a worst-case scenario for Reform, their party leader’s penalty could be a suspension. If the suspension is longer than 10 days, a by-election could be triggered in Farage’s constituency, where Reform’s tormenting rivals Restore under Rupert Lowe would likely throw the kitchen sink at the parliamentary seat.
Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner mused on Monday morning as she hosted an LBC chat show: “I don’t think that Nigel can shrug this scandal off and hope that it goes away. I think this one’s got lots of legs and it’s gonna carry on running.”
As the parliamentary probe into Farage’s affairs rumbles on, expect the bad stench to hang around.
