Nigel Farage is facing a fourth ethics investigation after secretly accepting staffing, security and housing from a convicted fraudster who once offered to launder drug money on the dark web.
The Reform UK leader did not declare benefits provided by George Cottrell – the aristocratic cryptocurrency entrepreneur known as “Posh George” – in the year before he was elected as MP for Clacton, according to the Sunday Times.
“Farage faces fourth ethics probe after accepting staff, security and housing from convicted fraudster George Cottrell.”
Cottrell, 32, was jailed for eight months in the US in 2017 after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Using the alias “Bill”, he told undercover agents he would clean criminal proceeds through his bank accounts, but intended to keep the money. “Rather than launder any of the money, though, Banker and I intended to retain the money,” he admitted in his plea agreement.
Despite that, Cottrell became a long-standing ally of Farage, first volunteering for Ukip before the Brexit referendum. The Sunday Times reported that he recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage’s social media before the general election, and also allowed him to use a five-storey Georgian townhouse he rented near Buckingham Palace.
Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, told the BBC that no rules had been broken because the support was provided before Farage became an MP and in a “purely personal capacity”. “Nigel Farage is allowed to have friends,” Jenrick said, adding that Farage had stayed at the house “a couple of times” and accepted private security from Cottrell. “No rules have been broken whatsoever.”
The Liberal Democrats have written to the parliamentary standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, asking him to investigate the undeclared benefits. That would be the fourth probe into Farage’s finances, adding to existing inquiries over a £5m gift from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, allegations of lobbying the Bank of England over cryptocurrency rules, and a failure to declare his property portfolio.
If found to have breached the code of conduct, Farage could face a Commons suspension triggering a recall petition and a by-election in his Clacton seat. The i Paper reported that Farage has told friends he is concerned about the possibility of a by-election.
The controversy comes as a new Ipsos poll found almost two-thirds of Britons (63%) are dissatisfied with Farage, up from 49% a year ago. Reform UK nonetheless holds a narrow lead over Labour at 26% to 24%.