Farage to make statement on his 'future in public life'

Nigel Farage says he will make a statement on his "future in public life" amid renewed scrutiny over financial support he has received.

The Reform UK leader's statement from 14:00 BST comes after it emerged he did not declare benefits provided by an ally once convicted of fraud in the US. Rival parties want this to be subject to a parliamentary probe.

Separately, Farage has been under investigation from Parliament's standards commissioner since May after not declaring a £5m gift he received from a billionaire Reform UK donor before his election as Clacton MP.

Farage argues that he was not obliged to declare any of the benefits, and has done nothing wrong.

Scrutiny over Farage's finances hit the headlines earlier this year after it emerged he had received a £5m gift from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based British cryptocurrency investor, in April 2024, before he entered Parliament.

Harborne is one of the party's most important financial backers, having donated £15m to Reform since the start of last year.

Over the weekend, The Sunday Times said Farage had also received support ahead of the 2024 election from George Cottrell, a longstanding ally who was jailed for eight months in the US in 2017 after pleading guilty to a charge of wire fraud.

This reportedly included paying for staff who provided Farage's security and worked on his social media content.

According to the newspaper, Farage also used a property near Buckingham Palace rented by Cottrell.

Farage has argued that he did not need to declare the gift from Harborne because he received it before he was elected as an MP and it was not political.

His team has made a similar argument for why the "in kind" - non-cash - benefits allegedly from Cottrell were not registered.

On Sunday, Farage said in response to the latest story: "I have done no wrongdoing, followed the rules and I am now considering legal action against the Sunday Times.

"It's now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform - we want to smash their cosy consensus."

Lawyers for Cottrell, providing a statement on his behalf, said he "categorially disputes allegations and assertions made by The Sunday Times".

Parliament's rulebook says newly-elected MPs have to declare gifts or benefits, including accommodation, received in the 12 months before their election that relate to their "parliamentary or political activities".

There is an exemption for gift and benefits that are "purely personal".

The guidelines say MPs should consider "both the possible motive of the giver and the use to which the gift is to be put" when deciding whether to make a declaration.

"If there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered," the rulebook adds.

When he became an MP, Farage registered a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 donated by Cottrell, and later added a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US domestic flight he provided in December 2024.

No other support from Cottrell is listed in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.

The Liberal Democrats have asked the parliamentary standards commissioner to investigate following the publication of the story in The Sunday Times.

On Tuesday, Labour also asked the Electoral Commission to assess whether support given to Farage by Cottrell should have been declared to the watchdog.

The commission said it "reviews all information it receives and is considering it carefully under its regulatory remit".

Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said he believes voters are not concerned about the stories related to Farage's finances.

Appearing at an event at the Institute for Government in London on Tuesday, Tice was asked if Reform's argument that it represents "real people" and their interests against the "elites" could be undermined by the row.

Tice said he believes "people like successful people leading things with a strong sense of conviction and passion and belief".

He said there have been elections since details of Farage's £5m gift were announced, and "we're winning them by significant percentages, we've won most of them".

Tice added: "So ultimately you've got to trust the voter and the voters will tell us."

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