Nigel Farage says he would still take £5 million donation from crypto billionaire
But would he declare it?
Nigel Farage has said he would take the £5 million donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne even now, after calling a by-election in his Clacton seat.
As Farage prepares to stand in the Clacton by-election tomorrow, The Sun has reported that Farage has “no regrets accepting” the money.
Farage was not asked whether he has any regrets about failing to declare the gift. He has previously insisted he did not need to declare the gift as he wasn’t an MP when he received it in April 2024.
However, Sunday Times reporting revealed that Farage had negotiated a deal with then-Reform leader Richard Tice to return to lead the party in March and April 2024.
Farage originally said Harborne had given him the money to pay for security for the rest of his life.
He has since said that he was given “the unconditional gift” for campaigning for Brexit, and subsequently that he could spend the money on whatever he wanted, stating: “I can spend it on cars if I want to”.
Asked if he would still have taken the money if he knew about the subsequent scrutiny over it, he said he would due to Ann Widdecombe’s death.
He added that he will need security “till the day I die”, saying: “You can see that around me now”.
He made the comment after two members of the public heckled him and questioned him about the £5 million gift.
The Reform leader was under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg before he resigned as an MP on 7 July.
The Times reported that Farage and his team were not aware that the standards investigation would be reopened if he resigned as an MP and was re-elected in a by-election.
The investigation will likely be reopened if he is re-elected tomorrow.
However, Farage made clear he would like to dodge further investigation, stating: “If I get the result I want, if Standards decide that they want to do it again, well, I think they’d look rather silly.”
The Reform politician branded parody candidate Count Binface the “Establishment candidate”, and said that if he wins with “a big thumping vote” that it will “be a message back to an Establishment that’s done its best over the last few months, not to give us an even break, literally on anything”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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