Standards Commissioner Reviews Farage £5m Gift While Farage Says It Predates Candidacy

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is investigating whether Nigel Farage broke rules on declaring a £5m gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne. BBC News reported that Farage received the money in early 2024 before his election as MP for Clacton in July 2024. Farage told the BBC the gift was unconditional and intended for personal security.

He said he will need protection until the day he dies and added that details of spending are none of the public's business. Farage stated on BBC Breakfast that he has taken zero in personal expenses since his election and is absolutely convinced he has done nothing wrong.

The Commons code of conduct requires new MPs to register financial interests and benefits received in the 12 months before election within one month of taking office.

Farage argued the gift predated his candidacy and was not political. He declined to confirm how much of the sum he has spent when asked on ITV's Good Morning Britain. Labour and other parties said Farage has questions to answer.

The Conservatives wrote to the standards watchdog and the Electoral Commission. On Tuesday the Liberal Democrats launched a billboard referencing the gift to mark the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum. Harborne, who lives in Thailand, told The Telegraph in April that he gave the money because of his admiration for Farage's work on Brexit.

He also gave Reform UK a separate £9m donation last year.