If discovered responsible, the right-wing populist might be suspended from the Home of Commons for a time period.
Revealed On 13 Might 2026
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is dealing with an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Requirements over a $6.7m (5 million pound) reward from a celebration donor, days after the anti-immigrant social gathering emerged because the biggest winner in local and regional elections.
A spokesperson for Reform UK denied any wrongdoing on Wednesday, telling the Reuters information company that “[Farage] has at all times been clear that this was a private, unconditional reward and no guidelines had been damaged.”
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“We stay up for this being put to mattress as soon as and for all,” the spokesperson added.
Farage mentioned he accepted the donation from Thailand-based billionaire and crypto investor Christopher Harborne to pay for his private safety earlier than he introduced his candidacy within the 2024 nationwide election that introduced him into Parliament.
He mentioned it was not a political donation, however rival political events in April accused him of breaking guidelines, which require members of parliament to declare donations obtained within the yr previous an election inside one month of taking workplace.
The social gathering has topped each nationwide opinion ballot since early final yr, prompting elevated scrutiny of the social gathering’s sources of funding. Final week, elections for about 5,000 seats on 136 native councils in England, in addition to within the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, marked vital progress for Reform UK, together with in areas thought of Labour heartlands.
If the investigation finds Farage dedicated a severe breach of parliamentary declaration guidelines, he might be suspended from the Home of Commons for a time period. A suspension of 10 days or extra might set off a recall petition, probably forcing him to face in a particular election for his seat.
About two-thirds of Reform’s funding final yr got here from Harborne, based on Electoral Fee knowledge. Opponents say the funding from an abroad billionaire demonstrates a gulf between the picture Farage cultivates as a person of the individuals keen to tackle the institution and his dependence on rich donors.
Reform’s deputy chief, Richard Tice, mentioned on the weekend that voters already knew in regards to the reward and had nonetheless chosen to vote in massive numbers for the social gathering in final week’s elections.
Earlier this yr, Farage apologised after he was discovered by the parliamentary authorities to have inadvertently dedicated 17 breaches of guidelines on declaring monetary pursuits, together with funds from Google and Elon Musk’s X Corp.
Parliament’s Requirements Commissioner concluded the failures had been unintentional and attributable to staffing and different administrative points.
