Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was issued a county court judgment over an unpaid £9,400 debt, records show – with Labour claiming it raises fresh questions over the way he manages finances
Nigel Farage has an outstanding judgment in default over an alleged debt of nearly £10,000, it has emerged.
County court records reveal a judgment was issued against him in June 2024 – less than a month before he became an MP – over an alleged debt of £9,400. It is unknown who the sum was allegedly owed to, or what it was for.
Reform UK told Channel 4 News – which unearthed the judgment – that Mr Farage had no knowledge of the case. Labour Party chair Anna Turley said: “ Nigel Farage ’s finances just get murkier and murkier. If this is how he handles his own affairs, the public can have no faith in his ability to manage the public finances if Reform won power.”
The record shows the judgment was reached on June 13 – ten days after he announced he was standing as an MP. A judgment in default is issued if a person takes legal action against someone saying they are owed money, and the person with the alleged debt has not responded.
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Records of judgments are held for six years – potentially making it harder for a person to get credit. A spokesman for the Reform UK leader told Channel 4 that the order had been issued to an incorrect address, meaning it became a default judgment. He also said Mr Farage has previously had to deal with “nuisance debt claims” which he had not received.
The address listed on the judgment was the registered address of Farage Media Ltd, in Leigh on Sea. Companies House records reveal this business was dissolved in April this year. The judgment was issued in Mr Farage’s name.
It was reported by Channel 4 that the Reform UK leader disputes the County Court Judgment (CCJ) claim.
It comes as Mr Farage faces questions about his personal finances after it emerged he had accepted £5million from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before the general election.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is investigating as the cash was not declared. Rules state that new MPs must declare relevant gifts and donations in the 12 months before they enter the Commons.
But the Reform leader insists there was no need to do so as it was an unconditional personal gift. Shortly after Mr Harborne’s gift, Mr Farage bought a house without a mortgage for £1.42m.
But Reform has said unequivocally that none of the money Mr Farage was gifted was used for the purchase. It told the BBC that funds for the four-bedroom detatched property came from his fee for taking part in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
However analysis of accounts for his personal media company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, by the Financial Times suggested the TV pay-out remained on his company balance sheet.
A Reform spokesman said: “AML money (anti-money laundering) checks were in March, before he received the gift. Nigel has multiple sources of income, as you can see from his parliamentary register.”
Last month Mr Farage told The Telegraph that £5m is being spent sorting out security for life. But he then told The Sun last week: “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.”
Ms Turley said: “It’s time Nigel Farage finally came clean over what he really spent his secret £5 million ‘gift’ on. This scandal has shown that he’s not on the side of ordinary Brits – he’s just in it for himself. It’s one rule for him and another for everyone else. He’s taking the public for a ride.”
The Mirror has contacted Reform UK for comment.