Nigel Farage has returned to the political spotlight but is avoiding questions about a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire. He has given selective interviews addressing the donation while deepfake images of him circulate online.
Key points
Nigel Farage received a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire.
Farage is avoiding TV appearances to evade questions about the donation.
He has given selective interviews addressing the gift.
Deepfake images of Farage are circulating online.
Mentioned in this story
Nigel Farage
crypto billionaire
Fake images of Nigel Farage have been ubiquitous online lately – but the real politician has proved far more elusive since it was revealed seven weeks ago that he took a £5m personal gift from a crypto billionaire.
Beyond this, Farage has otherwise remained unusually quiet – cancelling a rally in Sunderland and instead producing short clips for social media, including one inflammatory intervention from a field in response to .
Q&A
What is the £5m gift Nigel Farage received from a crypto billionaire?
Nigel Farage received a £5m personal gift from a crypto billionaire, which he claims was for security and as a reward for Brexit.
Why is Nigel Farage avoiding questions about the £5m donation?
Farage is largely avoiding TV appearances where he might face scrutiny over the donation, opting instead for selective interviews.
What has Nigel Farage said about the £5m gift in interviews?
In interviews, Farage has described the gift as a security measure and a reward for Brexit, while also suggesting that Russian hackers leaked the information.
How have deepfake images of Nigel Farage affected his public image?
Deepfake images of Farage have circulated online, portraying him in violent scenarios, which may contribute to his avoidance of media scrutiny.
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Until Wednesday morning, Reform had not held a single press conference for almost 50 days – which the party said was because attendance had been dropping, and they wanted to show it was more than a Farage-led one man band.
Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, faced repeated questions about the leader’s whereabouts when he gave a press conference about littering on Wednesday morning, and insisted that his boss was not dodging accountability.
However, staying out of the limelight does not come easily to Farage, when his media strategy for years has involved occupying space on the airwaves and creating news with stunts and controversy.
The cost of Farage lying low has been high for the party politically. Reform performed very well at the local elections on 7 May, taking 14 councils and more than 1,000 seats. But since then, it has been losing ground to Restore Britain – an even harder right party led by Rupert Lowe – whose acolytes push a policy of “remigration”.
His 50 days of staying out of the limelight came to an end on Wednesday as he made an unexpected re-emergence in Makerfield, but the terms of his appearance were very much dictated by necessity.
With an hour’s notice, the party announced on social media that Farage would be alongside Robert Kenyon, the party’s byelection candidate, to announce a policy supporting white van tradesmen.
The Reform UK leader highlighted red tape faced by small businesses and dismissed Restore Britain as only popular because it is being pushed on X by Elon Musk, but only select media organisations were present.
A Reform UK placard in Makerfield – with a 'Vote Labour' sign out of focus in the background
Reform UK has been losing ground to rival party Restore Britain, which lies even further to the right. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The Guardian was not invited to the press conference and was told on arrival that it would not be permitted to ask a question because it had not submitted official accreditation.
As a result, Farage faced no questions about the donation from Harborne. The Daily Mail’s reporter asked Farage two gentle questions about the extreme views of Restore Britain, and whether it was Labour’s Andy Burnham who was avoiding scrutiny during the campaign.
The sudden return to the political stage appears to show Farage has been stung by criticism about his absence, and the suggestion that he is attempting to avoid scrutiny. But if his return to the public eye is for real, it will be hard for him to avoid the key questions about the £5m donation for long.
