Money can't buy you happiness
- Thread starter JohnD
- Start date
"Anna Gross in London
Published YESTERDAY
Updated 13:34
Nigel Farage has admitted that he accepted an undisclosed £5mn gift from a crypto billionaire, saying that the money was intended to keep him “safe and secure” for the rest of his life.
The Reform UK leader appears to have broken parliamentary rules by not reporting the money from Thailand-based Christopher Harborne, which he received before being elected in 2024.
MPs are obliged to report financial benefits they receive in the 12 months prior to being elected, within a month of being elected. The Conservative Party said it had reported Farage to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner for investigation.
The huge financial gift, first reported by the Guardian, underscores the extent of Harborne’s influence in British politics, even though he has lived in Thailand for the past 20 years.
At the time of the gift, in 2024, Farage had said he did not intend to stand as an MP and was equivocal about re-entering the fray of British politics. But he changed his mind weeks after receiving the money.
Harborne donated a total of £10mn to Farage’s Brexit Party before and after the 2019 general election, money that allowed Farage to apply intense pressure on the government to withdraw fully from the EU. He then donated £12mn to Reform last year, making him one of the biggest donors in British political history."
FT.com
Published YESTERDAY
Updated 13:34
Nigel Farage has admitted that he accepted an undisclosed £5mn gift from a crypto billionaire, saying that the money was intended to keep him “safe and secure” for the rest of his life.
The Reform UK leader appears to have broken parliamentary rules by not reporting the money from Thailand-based Christopher Harborne, which he received before being elected in 2024.
MPs are obliged to report financial benefits they receive in the 12 months prior to being elected, within a month of being elected. The Conservative Party said it had reported Farage to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner for investigation.
The huge financial gift, first reported by the Guardian, underscores the extent of Harborne’s influence in British politics, even though he has lived in Thailand for the past 20 years.
At the time of the gift, in 2024, Farage had said he did not intend to stand as an MP and was equivocal about re-entering the fray of British politics. But he changed his mind weeks after receiving the money.
Harborne donated a total of £10mn to Farage’s Brexit Party before and after the 2019 general election, money that allowed Farage to apply intense pressure on the government to withdraw fully from the EU. He then donated £12mn to Reform last year, making him one of the biggest donors in British political history."
FT.com
