Nigel Farage was reportedly unaware parliamentary standards investigation could resume if he wins Clacton by-election
The Reform leader was "poorly advised" by advisors who were not aware that the investigation had been paused but not scrapped
Nigel Farage reportedly didn’t realise that the parliamentary standards investigation into him could resume after the Clacton by-election.
Farage was under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner in relation to an undeclared £5 million gift he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
The investigation was paused when Farage announced his resignation as the MP for Clacton on 7 July.
Farage framed the by-election as an opportunity for Clacton voters to judge him, rather than the “Establishment” and the media deciding whether he was guilty of any wrongdoing by not declaring the £5 million donation.
However, according to The Times, a senior Reform source said Farage was “poorly advised” about calling the by-election.
The article said that “young advisors” around him had not checked whether the investigation would resume if he is re-elected and had “incorrectly assumed it would not”.
Media reporting at the time Farage triggered a by-election in Clacton made clear that the parliamentary standards probe had been paused but not scrapped, and could be resumed if he returned to Parliament.
It seems Farage and his team were not aware that the investigation had been paused and not cancelled.
Farage received the £5 million gift in April 2024, before he became an MP. He said it was a “private gift” and that he had no intention of returning to politics at the time, so it didn’t need declaring.
But a report in The Sunday Times last Sunday cast doubt on that claim.
The Times reported Farage had negotiated a deal in March and April 2024 with then-Reform leader Richard Tice to return to lead the party. Farage has since admitted that this is the case.
This doesn’t, in itself, prove any wrongdoing. But the timing of those discussions, shortly before Farage received the £5 million gift, is likely to face further scrutiny if the parliamentary investigation is reopened.
Last month, The Guardian also reported that Farage had told senior Reform figures he would need “a million a year” if he stood to become an MP in the 2024 general election.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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