Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has registered the single biggest payment of his parliamentary career: £270,000 for promoting gold bullion. The payment from Direct Bullion was for work estimated at four hours per month over three months, according to the latest register of MPs’ interests.
Labour chair Anna Turley said: “Nigel Farage clearly has the Midas touch when it comes to lining his pockets instead of doing his day job.” A spokesman for Farage responded: “As has previously been reported and declared, Nigel Farage is a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion.”
“Nigel Farage declares £270,000 for gold ads as he faces probe over undeclared £5m gift.”
The declaration comes as Farage faces a separate investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner into an undeclared £5m gift he received from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage has argued he did not need to declare the gift because he received it before being elected and that it was not a political donation. He originally said the money was for private security, later claiming it was an unconditional gift to “reward” his Brexit campaign.
In interviews, Farage has appeared rattled by questions on the matter. When asked on the Today programme if he would repay the money, he retorted: “I don’t think it’s any of your business, frankly… Will you give your salary to charity?” On Good Morning Britain, he hissed: “You care, but no one cares.” Asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari how he was spending the money, Farage bragged: “I can spend it on Ferraris if I want… I can put it on the horses.”
Exclusive polling by Survation for the campaign group 38 Degrees found 68 per cent of Britons were concerned the gift gave Harborne “inappropriate influence” over Farage’s political decisions, including 50 per cent who said they were very concerned.
Farage has also previously registered more than £80,000 from filming personalised messages on Cameo, though in March he paused that service citing security reasons. The Clacton MP’s latest declarations also include an estimated £18,402 for his work as a presenter on GB News.
Turley added: “He should be focused on putting more pounds back in his Clacton constituents’ pockets rather than racking up payments off the back of gold sales.”