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Farage received £5m from donor before he became MP
TL;DR
Nigel Farage received £5m from donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP, intended for personal protection. Both Labour and Conservatives accuse him of failing to declare this gift in the Commons register.
Key points
- Nigel Farage received £5 million from Christopher Harborne.
- The donation was intended for Farage's personal protection.
- Labour and Conservatives accuse Farage of not declaring the gift.
- Harborne is a cryptocurrency investor living in Thailand.
- He previously donated £9 million to Reform UK.
Mentioned in this story
Nigel FarageChristopher HarborneReform UK
Nigel Farage received £5m from Reform UK mega donor Christopher Harborne before he became an MP, it has emerged.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Reform UK leader said he had been given the money to pay for personal protection "so that I would be safe and secure for the rest of my life".
He also told the newspaper his home had been targeted last year in a firebomb attack.
Labour and the Conservatives have both accused Farage of breaking Commons rules by not declaring the £5m gift in the register of interests, with the Tories saying they had referred the Reform leader to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
Harborne, a British cryptocurrency investor who lives in Thailand, last year donated £9m to Reform UK - the biggest single donation to a UK political party by a living person.
The separate £5m gift to Farage came in early 2024, Reform sources told the BBC, and it does not appear on his MP register of interests.
Labour Party chair Anna Turley said Farage "appears to have broken the rules again by failing to declare this cash from his billionaire backer".
Conservative party chair Kevin Hollinrake said that as a new MP, he should have declared the gift, adding: "Why does Reform think the rules don't apply to them?
"This stinks and Reform should come clean now."
Farage's team say there was no requirement to declare the money because it was a personal gift.
A Reform UK spokesman said: "This was a personal unconditional gift that was given before he was elected. We are confident everything has been declared in accordance with the rules."
The Commons code of conduct states that new MPs "must register all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election".
Farage announced he was standing to be the MP for Clacton on 4 June, 2024, and that he was taking over as Reform UK's leader.
In his Telegraph interview, Farage said Harborne had become concerned about his level of protection when a milkshake was thrown at him in 2019, as he was campaigning in Newcastle for the Brexit Party.
"I have tried and failed in the past to get security funded by the Home Office and I don't think the state will ever help me," Farage told the newspaper.
"I'm very much on my own and will be for the rest of my life, and I have to face up to that grim reality.
Q&A
How much money did Nigel Farage receive from Christopher Harborne?
Nigel Farage received £5 million from Christopher Harborne before he became an MP.
Why did Christopher Harborne donate £5 million to Farage?
Christopher Harborne donated the money to pay for Nigel Farage's personal protection for his safety and security.
What accusations have been made against Nigel Farage regarding the donation?
Labour and the Conservatives accuse Farage of breaking Commons rules by not declaring the £5 million gift in the register of interests.
Who is Christopher Harborne and what is his connection to Reform UK?
Christopher Harborne is a British cryptocurrency investor who donated £9 million to Reform UK, making it the largest single donation to a UK political party by a living person.
