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David Coburn was the UKIP leader in Scotland and served as an MEP for the party (Getty)<\/p>\nA former MEP for Nigel Farage\u2019s Brexit Party has denied taking payments as part of a pro-Russian influence campaign. <\/p>\n
David Coburn, who was also an MEP for UKIP and the former leader of the party in Scotland, has been named in a series of WhatsApp messages between an alleged \u201cpawn\u201d of Russia\u2019s main security agency and disgraced former MEP Nathan Gill.<\/p>\n
Coburn was the leader of UKIP in Scotland at the same time as Gill was the party leader in Wales, with the pair serving in the European Parliament together for five years.<\/p>\n
After quitting UKIP in December 2018, Coburn joined the Brexit Party in February 2019 before standing down as an MEP in July that year. <\/p>\n
David Coburn was the UKIP leader in Scotland and served as an MEP for the party (Getty)<\/p>\n
READ NEXT: Zia Yusuf rattled as he\u2019s asked about Nathan Gill<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Last week, Gill was sentenced to ten-an-a-half years in jail<\/a> for taking bribes to make pro-Russian statements and speeches during his time as an MEP. <\/p>\n In the messages, sent two months after Coburn joined the Brexit Party, Voloshyn discussed money apparently set aside for Coburn while he was bribing Gill.<\/p>\n “A former Scottish MEP, David Coburn, for Nigel Farage’s brexit party has denied taking large payments as part of a pro-Russian influence campaign in the European Parliament\u2026 there’s no evidence he accepted or received cash.” #BBCBreakfast<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/B4J7g6yFnk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Haggis_UK \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa (@Haggis_UK) November 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Following the former Reform leader in Wales\u2019 conviction, WhatsApp messages between him and Oleg Voloshyn, a former pro-Russian member of the Ukraine parliament, were released. <\/p>\n When asked by the BBC<\/a> if he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigner, Coburn said \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn answered “no” when a BBC journalist asked him whether he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners.\u2019<\/p>\n Great work from @BBCWales<\/a>. Keep going pic.twitter.com\/trHkVF3Tic<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) November 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In a document submitted last week to the Old Bailey by the Crown Prosecution Service for Gill\u2019s sentencing, there is a message from Voloshyn discussing a payment of $6,500 (\u00a35,000) for another MEP.<\/p>\n The CPS claims the conversation, found on Gill\u2019s seized mobile phone, is about participation in a meeting of the \u201ceditorial board\u201d of two pro-Russian TV channels in Ukraine called 112 Ukraine and NewsOne.<\/p>\n The messages are about money Voloshyn gave Gill to be distributed between himself and \u201cthe other MEP\u201d, who is referred to as \u201cD\u201d and \u201cDavid\u201d.<\/p>\n Coburn was the only man named David to publicly appear on the editorial board of the pro-Russian channels. <\/p>\n Following Gill\u2019s conviction and sentencing, there has been growing concern about the threat of Russian influence in British politics. <\/p>\n This week, more than 70,000 have\u00a0signed a petition<\/a>\u00a0calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on British politics and democracy.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has been\u00a0urged to launch an independent investigation<\/a>\u00a0into his party. A number of Labour voices have called for this, including prime minister Keir Starmer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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