Nigel Farage Faces Formal Investigation Into Failure To Declare £5m Gift
Nigel Farage faces an investigation into whether he breached parliamentary rules (Alamy)
2 min read
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is facing a formal inquiry over whether he breached parliamentary rules by failing to declare a £5m gift.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner will begin an inquiry into whether Farage has breached the House of Commons Code of Conduct over accepting a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
As revealed by The Guardian, Farage received the gift in the weeks leading up to his announcement that he would stand as a parliamentary candidate in the 2024 general election. Farage has said he believed he had not needed to disclose the gift, as it was intended to cover his own personal security costs.
If the investigation concludes that there was a particularly serious breach of parliamentary declaration rules, Farage could be suspended from the Commons. If an MP is suspended for 10 days or more, it can trigger a recall petition and force a by-election.
Asked about the gift on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Show on Sunday, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Nigel was not involved in politics at the time. He’s complied with all the laws.
“I trust Nigel’s judgment, and he’s complied with the rules, and thank heavens a wonderful person who’s given that gift is utterly determined to keep Nigel safe and secure.”
Reform UK won more than 1,400 councillors across England in last week’s local elections, and came second in the Welsh Senedd election and joint second with Labour in Scotland.
