Farage faces standards probe into £5m gift

[beak]

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is launching an inquiry into whether Reform UK leader Nigel Farage broke Commons rules by accepting a £5m gift and not declaring it, the BBC understands.

Farage has said he was under "no obligation" to declare the gift from billionaire Reform backer Christopher Harborne because it had been given before he was an MP.

But Reform's opponents say he should have declared it in the MPs' register of interests when he was elected to Parliament in 2024.

The Conservatives wrote to Parliament's standards watchdog, which is now investigating whether the Reform leader broke the House of Commons code of conduct.
A spokesman for Reform UK said: "Mr Farage's office is in communications with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

"He has always been clear that this was a personal, unconditional gift and no rules were broken. We look forward to this being put to bed once and for all."

Labour Party chair Anna Turley said: "Nigel Farage has been avoiding legitimate questions since news of his billionaire backer's 'gift'.

"It's right that he faces a proper investigation."

A Conservative Party spokesman said £5m was "more than most people will earn in a lifetime".

"Nigel Farage needs to explain how he got it, why he got it, and why he didn't declare it," they added.

"If there is a simple answer then he should welcome these investigations. But like so often with Reform, there is something very fishy about the whole story."

 

[johnny the eagle]

Don't kid yourself, they are all at it, on the make, corrupt, bent, accepting gifts, etc., etc.

 

[beak]

Don't kid yourself, they are all at it, on the make, corrupt, bent, accepting gifts, etc., etc.

At least we know that the white knight in shining armour is a grifter.

 

[johnny the eagle]

At least we know that the white knight in shining armour is a grifter.

Who cares? I have never voted for any of em and never will.

 

[silvertop]

Took £5m and suddenly became the face of crypto.

Claims he didn't break the rules due to a technical point on timing.

He may or may not escape censure.

Won't make the slightest difference with his base either way.

If censured he will claim fake news and/or conspiracy by the "elites" and they will believe him.

 

[Hrolf The Ganger]

Took £5m and suddenly became the face of crypto.

Claims he didn't break the rules due to a technical point on timing.

He may or may not escape censure.

Won't make the slightest difference with his base either way.

If censured he will claim fake news and/or conspiracy by the "elites" and they will believe him.

What they will believe is that the government will do anything to smear Farage, especially when their circus is imploding. It's not like it's a surprise. We all knew what was coming.

You are just another snide lefty with nothing to offer but bullshit.

 

[beak]

Took £5m and suddenly became the face of crypto.

Claims he didn't break the rules due to a technical point on timing.

He may or may not escape censure.

Won't make the slightest difference with his base either way.

If censured he will claim fake news and/or conspiracy by the "elites" and they will believe him.

I do fully take your point but even Penelope Pitstop could only escape so many times.It remains within the gift of the Clacton electorate to sign a complaint and have him disbarred as the local M.P. 10% is the figure, like Coutts banished him.

 

[silvertop]

I do fully take your point but even Penelope Pitstop could only escape so many times.It remains within the gift of the Clacton electorate to sign a complaint and have him disbarred as the local M.P. 10% is the figure, like Coutts banished him.

Can you imagine? His populist support is fully embedded in conspiracy about mythical "elites" out to get him. You only have to read some of the rubbish pedaled on here. The crime would be lost in the mist of bollox.

No party would touch it as it would boost Reform not hurt it. Pure Trump playbook.

The problems would then be accountability and hypocrisy. He would get off scot free and know he can circumvent the rules with impunity. And if he makes PM he would stand at the lectern on a tough agenda of law and order eg condemning immigrants for corruption.

Our political system was always broken but it is about to get a lot worse.

 

[Palace Old Geezer]

Poor old Nige, someone gives him a few bob to help pay for his personal security, then, just when the Labour party is in full tailspin, his private bank account details are hacked and the payment is uncovered. Perfect opportunity for the left to try to bury their own bad news.

I'd like to know what Angela Rayner has done to find herself exonerated from defrauding the HMRC just in time to get involved in the Labour leadership struggle.

Politics in our country are in a very grave state right now.

 

[silvertop]

Poor old Nige, someone gives him a few bob to help pay for his personal security, then, just when the Labour party is in full tailspin, his private bank account details are hacked and the payment is uncovered. Perfect opportunity for the left to try to bury their own bad news.

I'd like to know what Angela Rayner has done to find herself exonerated from defrauding the HMRC just in time to get involved in the Labour leadership struggle.

Politics in our country are in a very grave state right now.

Yeah poor old Nigel. Did you conveniently forget his promoting the donors business after he was elected?

Rayner is crap but at least she settled her issue. Farage just denies and says nothing to see.

 

[beak]

Can you imagine? His populist support is fully embedded in conspiracy about mythical "elites" out to get him. You only have to read some of the rubbish pedaled on here. The crime would be lost in the mist of bollox.

No party would touch it as it would boost Reform not hurt it. Pure Trump playbook.

The problems would then be accountability and hypocrisy. He would get off scot free and know he can circumvent the rules with impunity. And if he makes PM he would stand at the lectern on a tough agenda of law and order eg condemning immigrants for corruption.

Our political system was always broken but it is about to get a lot worse.

Sorry are you saying that Coutts did NOT show Nigel the door under Alison Rose stewardship?

 

[Palace Old Geezer]

Yeah poor old Nigel. Did you conveniently forget his promoting the donors business after he was elected?

Rayner is crap but at least she settled her issue. Farage just denies and says nothing to see.

No.

 

[silvertop]

No.

Fair enough.

 

[chris123]

Yeah poor old Nigel. Did you conveniently forget his promoting the donors business after he was elected?

Rayner is crap but at least she settled her issue. Farage just denies and says nothing to see.

I'm a little confused by the HMRC issue, I thought she was in trouble because she received advice that she needed an expert opinion, which she didn't do and hence the underpayment.

Absolutely not an issue I have any knowledge of bar reading at time that trusts are complicated ditto associated tax, expertise that she didn’t solicit at the time.

 

[Glazier#1]

What they will believe is that the government will do anything to smear Farage, especially when their circus is imploding. It's not like it's a surprise. We all knew what was coming.

You are just another snide lefty with nothing to offer but bullshit.

Another insult: your special talent.

Smear?

It's not like the Daily Mail and Express have been smearing, denigrating and deriding Starmer since day one of his tenure, before he's had a chance to bloody breathe. Whatever we think of Starmer, he has been gunned for by the Tory Press from the get go.

Biased.

Snide?

 

[beak]

Took £5m and suddenly became the face of crypto.

Claims he didn't break the rules due to a technical point on timing.

He may or may not escape censure.

Won't make the slightest difference with his base either way.

If censured he will claim fake news and/or conspiracy by the "elites" and they will believe him.

It really doesn't matter what he says in defence the standards committee,the Clacton electorate and the police may well chip in ,his supporters will not be able to interfere with the process but if he is de-selected he can bleat away to his hearts content.

 

[Hrolf The Ganger]

Can you imagine? His populist support is fully embedded in conspiracy about mythical "elites" out to get him. You only have to read some of the rubbish pedaled on here. The crime would be lost in the mist of bollox.

No party would touch it as it would boost Reform not hurt it. Pure Trump playbook.

The problems would then be accountability and hypocrisy. He would get off scot free and know he can circumvent the rules with impunity. And if he makes PM he would stand at the lectern on a tough agenda of law and order eg condemning immigrants for corruption.

Our political system was always broken but it is about to get a lot worse.

So you think that people in politics aren't purposefully smeared because the mud will stick even if they are cleared of wrongdoing? You don't think that a right wing upstart like Farage would be an obvious candidate with Labour in Government and the Tories in tatters?

Has anyone ever called you a total idiot?

 

[palace99]

What they will believe is that the government will do anything to smear Farage, especially when their circus is imploding. It's not like it's a surprise. We all knew what was coming.

You are just another snide lefty with nothing to offer but bullshit.

Absolute bollocks and you know it.

Farage is a grifter and always has been. It's not hard to find stuff on him yet most journalists don't bother looking. He only shut his cameo video account a few weeks ago, which shows his priorities.

Today the £5m 'private donation' has been linked to him buying a £1.4m house a few weeks later yet only the Guardian and Mirror feature the £5m story, not one right leaning paper.

I helped by son buy a house recently and he had to evidence that i'd given him some of the money. This is a standard money laundering check all solicitors have to do. If Farage's French girlfriend paid for it she would have had to prove where she got the money from - clearly Nige lent it to her to avoid stamp duty, yet this story has vanished. Compare that with the Rayner one for a similar amount - which Nige said was a resigning matter at the time.

Starmer gifted glasses makes front page news (which he declared BTW) and Nige takes £5m gift and doesn't declare it despite there being a 12 month backdated rule. These are hardly comparable

 

[Stirlingsays]

Yeah poor old Nigel. Did you conveniently forget his promoting the donors business after he was elected?

Rayner is crap but at least she settled her issue. Farage just denies and says nothing to see.

I'm more than fine with it.

He gets no state security protection.

He's been attacked by fruitcakes in public multiple times and those that attack him get slaps on the wrist.....while a women with nasty tweets gets banged up for a year.

No issues at all with some mate paying for his security teams.

It's needed.

 

[Stirlingsays]

Another insult: your special talent.

Smear?

It's not like the Daily Mail and Express have been smearing, denigrating and deriding Starmer since day one of his tenure, before he's had a chance to bloody breathe. Whatever we think of Starmer, he has been gunned for by the Tory Press from the get go.

Biased.

Snide?

So what?

The lefty press and media do exactly the same to right wing PMs. You seem to have blinkers on.

Biased? Perhaps you should buy yourself a mirror.