Nigel Farage has insisted he could spend a £5m gift from a billionaire donor “on cars if I want to”, as he faced a double setback: a torrid grilling over the donation and a disappointing by-election defeat in Makerfield.
The Reform UK leader told the BBC the money from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne was an “unconditional gift”, and refused to say how much he had spent on personal security, repeating “it’s none of your business”. The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is investigating whether Farage broke Commons rules by failing to declare the gift, received before he was elected as Clacton MP in 2024.
“Nigel Farage refuses to disclose how he spent £5m gift from crypto billionaire, as watchdog investigates.”
“I’m absolutely convinced I’ve done nothing wrong in any way at all,” Farage said, adding he did not regret not declaring it. The Commons code of conduct says new MPs must register financial interests and any benefits received in the 12 months before their election. “Both the possible motive of the giver and the use to which the gift is to be put should be considered,” the rules state, adding that if in doubt, it should be registered.
Farage argued the gift was for his personal safety, saying he has been “the most attacked and endangered politician in Britain for well over a decade”. When pressed on BBC Breakfast, he shot back: “If I answer that question you are [putting me in danger], so I won’t.”
Hours earlier, Farage conceded his party’s second-place finish in the Makerfield by-election was “disappointing”. Labour’s Andy Burnham increased his majority over Reform, with candidate Rob Kenyon finishing more than 9,000 votes behind. Farage blamed the result on voters wanting to “get Starmer out” and on the right-wing Restore Britain party, founded by ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe, which came third. “There’s a couple of thousand voters there who would normally have gone out and voted Reform, that voted Restore,” he said, urging them to back Reform as “the challenger party to the left”.
The sleaze watchdog’s probe could lead to a Commons suspension. If it lasts 10 days or more, it could trigger a recall petition, forcing Farage to fight his Clacton seat again. Asked if he would give the money back, Farage declined to answer directly.