politics
Reform UK says Farage followed rules on undeclared support from ally
Reform UK maintains no parliamentary rules were broken after reports that Nigel Farage did not register benefits from a cryptocurrency entrepreneur convicted of wire fraud. The party says the support occurred before Farage became an MP and was personal in nature.
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The BBC reported that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage received benefits from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Andrew Cottrell in the year before the July 2024 election, including security and social media staff who worked on online content, and use of a property near Buckingham Palace. Farage has said he has done no wrongdoing.
A Reform UK Treasury spokesman told the BBC that the benefits were provided in a purely personal capacity before the election and therefore did not require registration. The spokesman added that Cottrell had given support before the election but not afterward, and described the matter as an old story being used to target the party.
Farage is already under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over a separate £5 million gift from a cryptocurrency investor that was not registered. He has maintained that gift was for personal security and was not political.
Farage registered two prior donations from Cottrell: a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 and a £15,276 US domestic flight in December 2024. No other support from Cottrell appears in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.
Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde asked the commissioner to examine the latest allegations and to clarify whether they will be handled within the existing inquiry or as a separate matter. A Labour Party spokesperson said the new reports added to questions about funding and transparency.
