Nigel Farage ‘did not declare financial support from convicted criminal’

Nigel Farage ‘did not declare financial support from convicted criminal’ Reform UK has denied that its leader breached the code of conduct - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Nigel Farage received financial benefits from a convicted criminal in the year before he entered Parliament, potentially breaking MPs’ rules by failing to declare them, according to a new report. Long-time aide George Cottrell provided funding for the Reform UK leader’s operation, including for staffing, security and housing, The Sunday Times reported. The newspaper said Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian townhouse he rented near Buckingham Palace. After becoming the MP for Clacton in 2024, Mr Farage registered a £9,000 trip to Belgium donated by Cottrell, and belatedly added £15,000 for a US domestic flight, but no other support. Under rules in place at the time, new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities. The rules also required MPs to bear in mind the purpose of the register of interests to provide information about financial interests “which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions”. Reform UK denied that its leader breached the code of conduct. Mr Farage is already facing questions about an undisclosed £5 million gift from Thai-based billionaire Christopher Harborne. Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is investigating whether Mr Farage should have registered the gift. If found to have breached the rules, Mr Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a by-election in his seat. The Clacton MP has given various explanations for the gift, including that it was to pay for his personal security. Labour has called for a financial watchdog probe into whether Mr Farage’s advocacy for cryptocurrency has benefitted Reform mega-donor Mr Harborne, after reports he lobbied the Bank of England governor to scrap plans for a state-run digital currency. Cottrell, a crypto-gambling entrepreneur involved in offshore bookmaker Tether.bet, could also stand to gain from Mr Farage’s championing of crypto, according to The Sunday Times. Cottrell reportedly remains a close adviser to Mr Farage after first becoming involved in Ukip as a volunteer in the run-up to the Brexit referendum. In 2017, Cottrell was jailed for eight months in the US after pleading guilty to a charge of wire fraud after admitting attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web by masquerading as a money launderer. He was arrested as he and Mr Farage travelled back to Britain following a trip to the US. Reform UK said: “It comes as no surprise that The Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician, let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election. “Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken.” A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage and Reform are engulfed in a huge and growing scandal. It’s not going to go away, and trying to take the public for fools by saying it’s ‘none of your business’ won’t help. “These new allegations of secret payments from a wealthy convicted criminal are on top of the ongoing scandal of his secret £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire. How much money has he been given, what did his donors get in return, and why has he tried to cover them up and avoid legitimate questions? “Time and again Farage pretends to be on the side of working people. In reality he’s just in it for himself and can be bought by the highest bidder. He’s completely unfit for high office.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments