Nigel Farage spent Tuesday afternoon at Saint Jacques, a French restaurant in St James’s, central London, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote with fellow campaigners – while MPs debated defence spending in the Commons. The Reform UK leader was pictured leaving the restaurant at 5.20pm after a lunch that began at least four hours earlier, accompanied by Richard Tice, Arron Banks, Baroness Hoey, and others. Hoey posted a photo on X with the caption: “Ten years since the wonderful referendum result good to join the ‘Bad Boys of Brexit’ again.” Tice added: “The band back together again to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Brexit.”
Yet Farage’s absence from the chamber did not go unnoticed. Shadow defence minister Mark Francois told the Commons: “Yet again, we are debating defence, our armed forces, and the people who keep us safe, but the plastic patriots of Reform cannot be bothered to turn up.” The Tory MP, who campaigned for Brexit, spoke during an opposition day debate that started at 12.30pm and continued past 4pm. Only earlier this month, Farage had attacked the government over defence, claiming the country was “defenceless”.
“Farage refuses to detail £5m gift spending as he skipped defence debate for Brexit lunch.”
The lunch came as Farage faced renewed questions over a £5m gift he received in early 2024 from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, a Reform donor. The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is investigating whether Farage broke Commons rules on registering financial interests. Labour and other rival parties have raised concerns that the gift should have been declared after he became MP for Clacton.
Farage has insisted the money was an “unconditional gift” for his personal security, saying: “I can spend it on cars if I want to.” But pressed on what he had actually spent, he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I have not.” Asked on BBC Breakfast to clarify how much of the £5m he had used for security, Farage replied: “No, I’m not going to answer that deliberately, wilfully. It’s not your business at the BBC to put me in danger therefore I will not answer it.” When presenter Sally Nugent said “we’re not putting you in any danger at all”, Farage shot back: “If I answer that question you are, so I won’t.” The Commons code of conduct states MPs must register benefits received in the 12 months before their election within a month, and that “if there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered”. Farage argued the gift was not political because it was given before he became an MP, but the commissioner’s investigation continues.