politics
Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Opens Inquiry Into Nigel Farage's £5m Gift
The watchdog is examining whether the Reform UK leader broke Commons rules by accepting the gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in early 2024 and failing to register it after his election to Parliament that year. Conservatives prompted the probe by writing to the commissioner, while Reform UK insists the unconditional personal gift required no declaration.
May 13, 1:16 PM·2m read5 sources
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The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has opened an inquiry into whether Reform UK leader Nigel Farage breached the House of Commons code of conduct by failing to register a £5m gift from Christopher Harborne. The gift was made in early 2024 before Farage had decided to stand as an MP, according to Reform sources. Farage was elected to Parliament in July 2024.
The inquiry was prompted by a letter from the Conservative Party to the standards watchdog. The Conservatives also raised the matter with the Electoral Commission, which said it was considering the information provided. A Reform UK spokesperson said Farage’s office is in communication with the commissioner.
“He has always been clear that this was a personal, unconditional gift and no rules were broken,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that it is right that he faces a proper investigation.
The Commons code of conduct requires new MPs to register all current financial interests and any registrable benefits received in the 12 months before their election, within one month of election. The rules state that purely personal gifts or benefits from family or commercial loans would not normally have to be registered.
Both the possible motive of the giver and the use to which the gift is to be put should be considered and if there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered.
In January, Farage was found to have failed to register £384,000 in interests on time. Standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg concluded those breaches were inadvertent and allowed Farage to update his register via the rectification procedure without sanctions.
Christopher Harborne gave a single donation of £9m to Reform UK last year, described as the biggest to a UK political party by a living person. In total Harborne gave £12m to Reform in 2025 and has donated to the Conservatives in the past. About two-thirds of Reform’s funding last year came from Harborne, according to Electoral Commission data.
