Exclusive: Nigel Farage was given undisclosed £5m by crypto billionaire in 2024

Nigel Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election, the Guardian can reveal. Farage had stated he did not intend to stand as a prospective MP but U-turned in June 2024, within weeks of receiving the personal gift from the Thai-based businessman. In July 2024, Farage became an MP for the first time and has since stated he now expects to become prime minister at the next general election. After being approached by the Guardian about the gift, neither he nor Harborne provided a comment – instead lawyers for Reform UK and Harborne pleaded for more time. Farage then confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that he had received the gift, saying that it was to pay for his personal security. Until that point neither Harborne nor Farage had spoken publicly about the £5m gift. It did not need to be declared to the parliamentary authorities as Farage was not a sitting MP at the time. At the time of the gift, Farage had not announced that he would run for the seat of Clacton-on-Sea, and therefore may not have needed to declare it to the electoral commission. Asked on Monday by the Guardian about the gift, Reform sent a legal letter asking for more time to respond. The deadline was extended until Wednesday morning. The Telegraph then published its interview with Farage ahead of the deadline. …