Farage’s attempt to get ahead of £5m gift story only raises more questions

Nigel Farage has admitted he received a personal gift of £5m from the Reform UK mega-donor Christopher Harborne shortly before the general election in 2024. He did not disclose that gift at the time and had made no mention of it since. That is, until Wednesday morning, when the Daily Telegraph published a story in which Farage admitted receiving the money from Harborne – saying it was for his personal security. It’s a startling disclosure that could lead to him being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner. But the manner in which it came out is insightful too. The Guardian has been researching Reform and its finances for months. The party is ahead in the polls and Farage, its leader, has said he believes he will be the next prime minister. So how Reform and its key figures are funded is a matter of legitimate – and essential – public interest. Our reporting led to the discovery that Farage had been given £5m by Harborne in the run-up to the July 2024 election. On Monday morning, we asked both men about this. Rather than respond to the questions, they seemed to play for time. At first, Reform’s director of communications confirmed he was the right person to handle the request. About 24 hours later, as a 10am deadline for a response approached, a different spokesperson for Farage contradicted him – and said he should have received the request for comment instead. …