Nigel Farage faces a Commons standards inquiry over whether he should have declared a £5m gift from Reform UK backer Christopher Harborne.
Nigel Farage is facing a parliamentary standards inquiry over whether he broke Commons rules by accepting a £5m gift from billionaire Reform UK backer Christopher Harborne and not declaring it, the BBC reported.
The inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards will examine whether the Reform UK leader should have registered the gift after he was elected to Parliament in 2024. Farage has said he was under no obligation to do so because the money was given before he became an MP.
The case matters because MPs are required to disclose relevant financial interests and benefits so voters can see potential conflicts. Reform’s opponents argue the gift should have appeared in the MPs’ register of interests when Farage entered the Commons.
A Reform UK spokesman said Farage’s office was in contact with the standards commissioner. “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,” the spokesman said.
The Conservatives had written to Parliament’s standards watchdog about the gift. A Conservative Party spokesman said Farage needed to explain “how he got it, why he got it, and why he didn’t declare it.” Labour Party chair Anna Turley said it was right that Farage faced “a proper investigation” after what she called unanswered questions about the gift.
The Commons code of conduct says new MPs must register current financial interests and any registrable benefits, other than earnings, received in the 12 months before their election within one month of being elected. It says purely personal gifts from family or commercial loans would not normally have to be registered, but also says the possible motive of the giver and the intended use of a gift should be considered, and that benefits should be registered if there is doubt.
MPs found to have breached the code can face sanctions ranging from a written or oral apology to suspension from the House or, in the most serious cases, expulsion.
Farage was found in January to have failed to register £384,000 in interests on time. He was allowed to update his register through the rectification process without sanctions after standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg concluded the breach had been inadvertent.
Harborne, a British cryptocurrency investor who lives in Thailand, gave £9m to Reform UK last year, described in the source report as the largest donation to a UK political party by a living person. In total, he gave £12m to Reform in 2025 and has previously donated to the Conservatives.
The separate £5m gift to Farage was made in early 2024, and Reform sources say it came before he had decided to stand as an MP. Farage has said Harborne gave him the money for personal security and that the gift was private and not political. The BBC said it had contacted Harborne’s representatives for comment.
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