Labour seeks Electoral Commission probe into Farage over undeclared gifts from convicted fraudster

Labour has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate Nigel Farage over undeclared gifts from a convicted fraudster, accusing the Reform UK leader of breaking electoral law. Anna Turley, the Labour chair, wrote to the commission arguing that benefits from George Cottrell – a friend who pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the US and spent time in an Arizona prison – exceeded the £500 threshold for checking permissibility and the £2,230 threshold for reporting donations. The request comes after the Sunday Times reported that Cottrell provided Farage with security, accommodation and staffing before he became an MP in 2024, as well as appearing alongside him at numerous Reform events and on a trip to Abu Dhabi in December 2025. Farage, who has also received £5m personally from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, lashed out at a Sky News cameraman who doorstepped him on his return from the US, accusing the broadcaster of harassing his family – an allegation Sky denies. Donald Trump posted on Truth Social in support of Farage. Cottrell’s lawyers have said he “is an unpaid volunteer with no formal role at Reform UK”, but Labour has called on Farage to clarify his “personal and financial dependence” on the fraudster, who is seeking a pardon from Trump.