“Frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years”
Mr Farage was given £5million by businessman Christopher Harborne in 2024(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Nigel Farage has fumed at the scrutiny he faces over the £5million gift he received from a Thailand‑based billionaire, insisting it was not used to purchase a £1.42million home bought shortly after the payment was made.
The Reform UK leader faces an investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after it emerged that Christopher Harborne, a major cryptocurrency investor and long‑standing Reform donor, transferred the seven‑figure sum to Farage shortly before the general election, though it was never declared.
Farage has offered shifting explanations for the money, initially suggesting it was intended to cover security costs before later describing it as a “reward for campaigning for Brexit”.
The Reform leader has now claimed the £5m was a “reward for campaigning for Brexit”(Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
The lack of disclosure, combined with the timing of his property purchase, has intensified pressure on the Clacton MP. Farage insisted he was under “no obligation” to declare the gift, as is required by MPs, because he received it before being voted in as Clacton MP – adding the payment “wasn’t political in any sense at all”.
On Thursday (May 14), it emerged that Mr Farage completed the purchase of a four‑bedroom detached property in May 2024. Reform UK insists the transaction was already underway and unrelated to the £5million gift, despite documents showing he paid £1.42million for the house less than a month before announcing his intention to stand for Parliament.
Speaking with The Sun, the Clacton MP fumed that the payment was made public, calling it a “disgrace” and something that “shouldn’t be in the public domain”.
“This (the £5m from Mr Harborne) was given to me on an unconditional basis, a completely unconditional basis. But frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years,” he said.
Farage faces an investigation over the funds
Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg will investigate the matter, and holds the power to recommend a suspension if Mr Farage is found to have committed a serious rules breach. If barred from the Commons for more than 10 days, Farage could face a recall petition – triggering a re-election in his Clacton constituency.
Mr Greenberg will decide whether Farage was required to declare any potentially relevant gifts or donations received in the 12 months before they enter the Commons.
Anna Turley, who chairs the Labour Party, said on Thursday: “Nigel Farage has repeatedly dodged questions on his multi-million-pound ‘gift’. Now we can see why – this totally stinks. Farage must urgently come clean with the public as to precisely what this £5million was used for and why he failed to declare it.
“The facts are simple. Farage took £5m from a crypto billionaire, tried to cover it up, and bought an expensive house after taking the money.” And she added: “Farage may keep trying to avoid scrutiny, but he simply can’t be trusted – he isn’t on your side.”
The Reform chief insists he is not worried about the probe, adding his critics have long made similar complaints.
“I had five of these when I was in Brussels, five fraud investigations into me when I was an MEP (Member of the European Parliament),” he said. “I mean, they came round on an annual basis. As far as this is concerned, I’m not the least bit concerned.”
The Reform chief insists he is not worried about the probe(Image: Getty Images)
Since entering Parliament, Mr Farage has declared hundreds of thousands of payments, including nearly £409,000 from GB News, £124,000 from filming Cameo videos and £226,200 for advertising gold bullion. He has also racked up nearly £139,000 from speaking engagements and logged more than £2million in gifts and payments on top of his £98,599 per year salary as an MP.
But, Farage claims the public do not mind his vast earnings, stating: “People in Clacton (his constituency) say ‘good luck to you mate’. They don’t care.
“They care if you’re a crook, which I’m not, I never have been. But the fact that I made a few quid doing things just doesn’t worry people at all.”
In April, The Guardian disclosed that the £5m gift from Mr Harborne, also known as Chakrit Sakunkrit in Thailand, where he has lived and worked for two decades, was paid shortly before the general election.
The businessman has given more than £22m to Reform in the past seven years. He also bankrolled Mr Farage’s travel to Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, handing over £27,616.76.
Another £25,000 donation was made by the crypto magnate in February to fund a “humanitarian aid mission” to the Maldives, Electoral Commission records show.
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Mr Farage has previously said Mr Harborne wants nothing in return for his huge donations to Reform, telling the Sun: “I can’t be bought be anyone.”
A Reform UK spokesman said: “The relevant chronology is straightforward. The offer and purchase process for the property commenced before the gift.
“Mr Farage had already passed proof of funds and the relevant checks before receiving the gift. The purchase was therefore already proceeding independently of it.”
Scrutiny of Farage’s financial affairs is not new. Last September, The Mirror reported that he faced accusations of hypocrisy after declaring he had bought a house in Clacton, the Essex constituency he now represents. In reality, it later emerged that the £900,000 property had been purchased by his partner, Laure Ferrari, 46, rather than by Mr Farage himself.
Because the home was Ms Ferrari’s sole residence, she was liable for almost £32,000 in stamp duty, according to HMRC calculations. Had Mr Farage bought the property in his own name, the bill would have been significantly higher, at least £75,000, owing to the surcharge on second homes.
Mr Farage has consistently rejected any suggestion of impropriety, insisting that Ms Ferrari paid for the property entirely with her own funds.