2 hours ago Nigel Farage's spokesperson has denied caller allegations the Reform UK person whitethorn person breached parliamentary rules - aft reports the MP had failed to state benefits from an state convicted of fraud in the US.
The Sunday Times says George Cottrell provided support, external including information and societal media unit who worked connected Farage's online contented successful the twelvemonth earlier helium was elected. It besides claims Farage utilized a spot rented by Cottrell adjacent Buckingham Palace.
Farage is already facing a parliamentary probe implicit a £5m acquisition from a billionaire Reform UK donor which was not registered. He has argued that wealth was for idiosyncratic information and was not governmental due to the fact that it was received erstwhile helium was not progressive successful politics.
His squad person made a akin statement for wherefore the "in kind" - non-cash - benefits allegedly from Cottrell were not registered.
Cottrell, 32, who admitted a number of ligament fraud successful the United States successful 2017, is simply a long-standing state of Farage.
Farage served arsenic Reform's honorary president betwixt March 2021 and June 2024. On 3 June 2024, helium confirmed helium was returning arsenic enactment person and lasting successful the wide election. He became Clacton MP successful July 2024.
Under parliamentary rules, caller MPs indispensable state fiscal interests and "registrable benefits" received successful the 12 months earlier their election.
The guidelines accidental purely idiosyncratic gifts oregon benefits bash not request to beryllium registered.
When helium became an MP, Farage registered a £9,253 travel to Belgium successful April 2024 donated by Cottrell, and aboriginal added a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US home formation helium provided successful December 2024. No different enactment from Cottrell is listed successful the Register of Members' Financial Interests., external
A spokesperson for Farage said: "It comes arsenic nary astonishment that the Sunday Times has chosen to people this baseless and contrived story, covering a play of clip erstwhile Nigel Farage was not adjacent an progressive person fto unsocial an elected one, fixed that the paper backed the Labour Party astatine the past wide election. Contrary to the story's tone, nary parliamentary rules person been broken."
A root said Reform paid for Farage's information and unit aft his instrumentality to politics.
The root besides denied Farage received accommodation from Cottrell - saying the MP did not enactment astatine the London property.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is presently investigating whether Farage broke the rules implicit the £5m acquisition from British cryptocurrency capitalist Christopher Harborne successful aboriginal 2024.
Farage has said Harborne gave him the wealth to wage for his idiosyncratic security, adding the acquisition was "purely private" and "wasn't governmental successful immoderate consciousness astatine all".
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Nigel Farage and Reform are engulfed successful a immense and increasing scandal."
"These caller allegations of concealed payments from a affluent convicted transgression are connected apical of the ongoing ungraded of his concealed £5m acquisition from a crypto billionaire. How overmuch wealth has helium been given, what did his donors get successful return, and wherefore has helium tried to screen them up and debar morganatic questions?"
English (US)·