Nigel Farage Under Scrutiny for $6.7 Million Donation from Tether Billionaire

According to The Guardian, Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, received approximately £5 million (around $6.7 million) from Christopher Harborne, a billionaire associated with Tether, prior to his 2024 Clacton seat election announcement. The Conservatives have referred Farage to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, and Labour has accused him of breaching House of Commons rules. Farage acknowledged the gift in a Daily Telegraph interview, stating it was intended to provide him with long-term financial security following a 2019 milkshake incident and a firebomb attack on his home last year. Harborne, who holds a 12% stake in Tether, made the payment in 2024, before Farage's candidacy announcement and subsequent election win. A Reform UK spokesperson described the payment as a 'personal unconditional gift' unrelated to Farage's decision to run for office, and expressed confidence that all necessary declarations had been made in accordance with the rules. The Commons code of conduct requires new MPs to register benefits received in the 12 months preceding their election, and Reform UK claims the gift falls under the exemption for purely personal donations. The Conservative Party has requested that Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg investigate whether any of the funds were used for political purposes rather than security. Labour chair Anna Turley stated that Farage 'appears to have broken the rules again.' Additionally, Harborne donated £9 million to Reform UK last year, and BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo recently disclosed a £4 million donation to the party. In response to concerns about the potential use of digital assets to channel foreign funds into UK politics, the UK government has imposed a moratorium on crypto donations to political parties, which will be incorporated into the Representation of the People Bill with criminal penalties for non-compliance. Farage has also invested £215,000 in Stack BTC, a London-listed bitcoin treasury company.