Nigel Farage faces scrutiny over alleged secret deal with Reform UK
Nigel Farage has been urged to “come clean” regarding allegations of a covert arrangement to reclaim leadership of Reform UK ahead of the 2024 general election, reports BritPanorama.
The accusations arise amidst questions surrounding his failure to disclose a £5 million donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, a significant figure linked to Reform UK.
Farage contends that the donation is unrelated to his political activities, stating last month that he “wasn’t in politics” between 2021 and June 2024.
The Sunday Times indicated that negotiations occurred in March and April 2024 between Farage and Richard Tice, then party leader, for his return to leadership. Under this agreement, Reform UK would either repay or forgive over £1 million in loans owed to Tice’s company if Farage resumed his position.
According to The Guardian, Farage accepted the payment from Harborne in April 2024. Inside Reform UK, sources suggested that Farage initially hesitated about rejoining the party leadership after assessing its financial obligations but later decided to pursue the role.
Farage had earlier asserted there was no intention of returning to frontline politics until June 2024, when he officially announced his candidacy to regain leadership and run for the Clacton seat.
“From 2021 to the 3rd of June 2024, I was a broadcaster, I was someone that appeared on celebrity TV programmes, I was somebody that promoted some financial market products, but I was an influencer … I wasn’t in politics,” he remarked during an interview on the Triggernometry podcast last month.
Newly elected MPs are required to declare any relevant financial interests and gifts received within the year preceding their election.
A parliamentary inquiry into the £5 million gift has been halted since Farage resigned as Clacton MP, prompting a by-election in which he is a candidate. The investigation would continue if he were to be re-elected.
Farage appears to acknowledge facing another inquiry related to support from convicted fraudster George Cottrell.
In the approaching Clacton by-election, his principal competitor is the comedy candidate Count Binface, as major political parties have opted out, viewing the election as a political stunt.
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson criticized Farage, asserting he has evaded scrutiny for months, stating, “He can’t run from the truth forever though – the net is closing in.”
Phillipson accused him of calling a by-election to divert attention from serious questions, urging him to “come clean with the public today.”
She added, “Grubby pacts, secret gifts, support from a convicted fraudster, and attempted cover-ups – it all adds up to a stench of sleaze the public can smell from miles away.”
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, emphasized that ongoing revelations make Farage and Reform UK appear increasingly untrustworthy, saying, “Even if Farage does manage to face down Count Binface in this pointless by-election, he won’t be able to wriggle out of the formal investigations or the prospect of a second by-election. The people of Clacton and the public deserve to know the truth.”
