Nigel Farage Under Investigation for Alleged Breach of Commons Rules Over $6.7 Million Gift

According to The Guardian, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage received approximately £5 million, equivalent to around $6.7 million, from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne prior to announcing his candidacy for the Clacton seat in 2024. This has led to the Conservatives referring him to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, with Labour also accusing him of breaking House of Commons rules. Farage acknowledged the gift in a Daily Telegraph interview, stating it was intended to ensure his safety and security after a series of incidents, including a milkshake being thrown at him in 2019 and a firebomb attack on his home last year. Harborne, who holds a 12% stake in Tether, made the payment in 2024, before Farage announced his candidacy and won the Clacton seat in July. A Reform UK spokesperson described the payment as a 'personal unconditional gift' given before Farage's election, adding that his decision to stand as an MP was entirely unrelated. The spokesperson expressed confidence that everything has been declared in accordance with the rules. The Commons code of conduct requires new MPs to register benefits received in the 12 months preceding their election, stating that any benefit should be registered if there is doubt. Reform claims the gift falls under the exemption for purely personal gifts. The Conservative Party has written to Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg, requesting an examination into whether any of the funds were used to support political activity rather than security. Labour chair Anna Turley stated that Farage 'appears to have broken the rules again.' This incident comes amid a larger discussion on crypto donations in the UK, with Harborne having given Reform £9 million, worth around $12 million at the time, in the largest single donation to a UK political party from a living person on record. Additionally, BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo recently announced that he had given Reform £4 million since the start of the year. In response to concerns about the potential for digital assets to be used to channel foreign money into UK politics, the UK government has imposed an immediate moratorium on crypto donations to political parties, with plans to write this ban into the Representation of the People Bill and impose criminal penalties for non-compliance. Farage has also invested £215,000 in Stack BTC, a London-listed bitcoin treasury company, taking a 6.31% stake through his investment vehicle Thorn In The Side.