Nigel Farage Sought £1 Million a Year to Run for MP as £5 Million Gift Faces Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
Nigel Farage Sought £1 Million a Year to Run for MP as £5 Million Gift Faces Scrutiny
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
Summary
Three sources told the Guardian Farage said in March 2024 he needed “a million a year” — about £5 million over time — to offset lost earnings if he returned to lead Reform UK and stand for parliament.
Those talks came shortly before crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne’s £5 million gift on 5 April, undercutting Farage’s claim the money was purely personal or for security rather than replacing income.
Farage was then earning more than £1 million a year at GB News and, according to the MPs’ register, received about £98,000 a month in 2024; his office did not deny the remarks.
Harborne’s lawyers have said he expected nothing in return and did not envisage Farage returning to politics, but the timing remains under pressure because some of the money was reportedly received in late May, days before Farage announced his candidacy on 3 June.
The parliamentary watchdog has paused its inquiry into whether the £5 million should have been declared during Farage’s Clacton by-election campaign, with findings now expected in the autumn.