Nigel Farage suggests £5million probe will discover towards him and whines about ‘farce’
Nigel Farage has suggested he believes Parliament’s standards watchdog will find he has breached the rules in an investigation into a £5million gift he received
The Reform UK leader appeared to question the integrity of the Standards Commissioner(Image: Jeff Overs/BBC/Press Association)
Nigel Farage has suggested he believes Parliament’s standards watchdog will find he has breached the rules in an investigation into a £5million gift he received.
The Reform UK leader appeared to question the integrity of the Standards Commissioner, suggesting the so-called “establishment” would rule against him because he is the leader of an “insurgent party”. The Clacton MP did not offer any evidence for casting doubt over the independence of the well-respected commissioner.
Asked if he expected the commissioner to find against him, Mr Farage replied: “Do I think the establishment would find against me, the leader of an insurgent party? What a question to ask.”
The Standards Committee prides itself on independence and integrity, with its investigations kept highly secret to ensure they do not suffer from any political interference or influence. Mr Farage said it was a “farce” he was not able to speak more freely about the confidential probe.
He told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “Under the rules of Parliament, if I even answer your question, I will receive a letter of rebuke from the Standards Commissioner. This is the farce of it: You can say what you like, people can write what they like, I’m not allowed to respond.”
The Standards Committee is currently made up of four Labour MPs, two Tory MPs and one Liberal Democrat MP. Crucially, seven members of the public also sit on the committee. The inclusion of lay members is designed to bring an “independent and external perspective to the Committee’s deliberations”, Parliament’s website says.
Mr Farage confirmed he has been interviewed by Commissioner Daniel Greenberg over an undeclared £5m gift he received from Thai-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before the 2024 general election. The probe is expected to conclude shortly.
Newly elected MPs must declare any financial benefits they received in the 12 months before they were elected. Mr Farage has insisted the cash was a personal gift to help pay for his security and that after taking “strong legal advice”, he was told he didn’t need to declare it and so has not broken any rules.
The Reform leader said if the alleged murder of politician Anne Widdecombe “doesn’t justify me being able to pay for my security to whatever level is needed for the rest of my life then I don’t know what is”.
But Mr Farage has also previously suggested the £5m gift was a reward for his Brexit campaiging. In May, Mr Farage told the Sun: “It’s very unusual for someone to give up 27 years of their life to campaign for something. And this was given to me on an unconditional basis, completely unconditional basis. But frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years.”
And in interviews in June, the tetchy Reform leader said it’s not the public’s business how he spends the money, and that he can splash it on Ferraris or betting on horseracing if he wants.
Mr Farage could face another by-election in his Clacton constituency if he is found to have breached MPs’ rules. He trigged a by-election in the area in the summer, after resigning as an MP in protest over questions about his finances. The stunt backfired after all the major political parties boycotted the race and he was left to spent the summer fighting against Count Binface. He won the race and was later sworn back in as an MP.
Other parties are expected to stand candidates if another by-election is held following the £5m probe.
