The Reform UK leader has lashed out at journalists and the ‘establishment’ as the pressure builds, leading to his explosive calling of a by-election on Tuesday
Embattled Nigel Farage has faced a difficult year of scandals, with housing rows, donation controversies and accusations of racism while he was at school.
The Reform UK leader has lashed out at journalists and the “establishment” as the pressure builds, leading to his explosive calling of a by-election on Tuesday.
Mr Farage announced he will quit as an MP to fight a “people versus the establishment” by-election in protest at the intense scrutiny over unregistered donations of cash.
The Clacton MP insisted he had done nothing wrong as he accused Westminster opponents of using sleaze investigations as a “political tool” and the media of “haranguing” his family.
The stunt appears to have backfired with the other parties not running against him, leaving Mr Farage facing the same issues that led him to announce a by-election, and continued scrutiny of them.
As ex-Ukip boss continues to flounder, these are the scandals that have led to this latest act of desperation.
Questions over Clacton home ownership
Last year Mr Farage faced questions over his housing arrangements, after being challenged over the revelation his partner Laure Ferrari bought their home in his Clacton constituency – after previously claiming it was him who bought the £885,000 house.
He had claimed his partner Laure Ferrari came to stay with him in 2017 – before they were in a relationship – as she needed somewhere to stay “that wouldn’t cost her any money”.
The Mirror then revealed that Mr Farage’s partner bought the property in his constituency, despite him saying in November 2024 that he bought the house.
She paid standard stamp duty rates on it as it is her only home. Mr Farage, who has an expansive property empire, would have paid an additional 5% if he had bought it – around £44,000.
He later claimed he misspoke when he said he was the one who bought the house. The Reform boss also denied lending Ms Ferrari the money, saying: “She comes from a very successful French family and she can afford it herself.”
However, a BBC probe found no evidence that Ms Ferrari and her family had the funds to buy the house mortgage-free. There is no mortgage registered which would mean she paid cash for the property.
Labour accused Mr Farage of misleading his constituents, and failing to “get his story straight”.
Mr Farage told reporters he didn’t want his name on deeds for a home in Clacton ‘for obvious security reasons’ after his girlfriend purchased a home, raising questions about stamp duty.
Mr Farage’s solicitors, Grosvenor Law, previously told us they had received written advice from a leading tax lawyer, insisting there is “no basis to suggest there has been any improper avoidance or evasion of tax” over the house purchase.
Speaking at the time, his spokesman said: “Laure Ferrari is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the property.
“It belongs solely to Laure and was purchased with funds which belong to her. All taxes were properly paid. Nigel has no financial interest in the property whatsoever.”
School racism allegations
Mr Farage also faced a furious backlash over allegations of racism and antisemitism while a pupil at Dulwich College.
More than a dozen former pupils at the school in south London alleged that Mr Farage made pro-Hitler comments, joked about gas chambers, and put someone in detention for the colour of their skin.
Bafta- and Emmy-winning director and producer Peter Ettedgui, who was 13-at-the time, claimed Mr Farage would tell him “Hitler was right”, or “Gas them” before adding a hiss to replicate the sound of the gas chambers.
Mr Farage described them as “alleged” remarks in a bad-tempered press conference, and then proceeded to read out a letter which said he had made “offensive” comments – but that it was not done through malice.
Reform UK has categorically denied the claims and claimed the allegations are part of a smear campaign against the party leader.
Christopher Harborne donation scandal
The Reform UK leader also came unstuck during a nightmare series of interviews earlier this year where he was grilled over the £5million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024.
Parliament’s sleaze watchdog is investigating whether he should have declared the seven-figure gift from the Thailand-based tycoon, with Commons rules state new MPs must declare relevant gifts and donations in the previous 12 months. The Electoral Commission is also considering whether to investigate.
This newspaper previously revealed revamped his grade II-listed woodland home after pocketing the £5million.
After Mr Farage got the gift, he extended his £1.4million Surrey tree-lined pad. All of the planned works – which also included internal alterations – could cost up to £350,000, a property expert estimated.
Asked by the Mirror how Farage funded the revamp of his Surrey house, his spokesman declined to comment.
He originally said Harborne’s gift had been intended to cover his personal security costs and therefore did not need to be declared. He later appeared to change his story, saying it was a “reward” for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years.
The former UKIP-boss later claimed, as pressure grew on him to explain the undeclared sum, that the gift only became public knowledge because his phone had been compromised by Russian hackers. He then failed to produce any evidence to back up this claim.
In a desperate attempt to deflect, he then raged at LBC, telling them it was “none of their business”, before adding “it’s an unconditional gift. I can spend it on Ferraris if I want.”
Staffing, security and housing from a fraudster
This month Mr Farage was referred to Parliament’s standards watchdog after allegedly failing to declare financial benefits he received from a convicted criminal who offered to launder drug money.
The Reform UK leader is accused of breaching parliamentary rules over claims he accepted staffing, security and housing from George Cottrell in the year before he became an MP.
Mr Cottrell – a rich aristocrat known as “Posh George” – now faces an ethics watchdog probe over the alleged financial support from the baby-faced British aristocrat, who avoided 20 years in prison in the US after striking a plea deal. Reform UK denied that its leader breached the code of conduct.
Cottrell – known in the US federal prison system as inmate 46832-424 – was sentenced to eight months in jail in 2017 after admitting to one count of wire fraud, having initially been indicted on 21 offences.
Labour has urged the elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission, to investigate the donations, asking whether the support should have been declared because Mr Farage was a prominent figure in Reform even before he returned to frontline politics.
The party also questioned whether Montenegro-based Cottrell was a permissible donor, claiming it was not clear whether he was on a UK electoral register at the time.