Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage is facing calls for a second parliamentary standards investigation after a Liberal Democrat lawmaker asked the watchdog to examine new allegations about undeclared support.
The request follows a report that the populist right Reform UK leader received security, accommodation and social media assistance before entering Parliament in 2024.
What is Farage accused of?
The UK’s Sunday Times newspaper reported that George Cottrell, a longtime Farage ally, provided security services, social media support and accommodation during the year before Farage was elected as a lawmaker.
According to The Sunday Times, Cottrell pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the United States in 2017 and now works in the cryptocurrency sector. Under parliamentary rules, newly elected MPs must declare financial interests and most benefits received in the 12 months before entering Parliament, although some personal gifts are exempt.
Farage’s spokesperson dismissed the report as “baseless and contrived,” saying no parliamentary rules had been broken.
Liberal Democrat member Josh Babarinde wrote to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg requesting an investigation, saying the reported support raised “a serious question” over whether Farage had complied with lawmaker’s disclosure rules.
Separate watchdog probe
Farage is already under investigation over whether he should have declared a £5 million (€5.84 $6.7 million) gift from Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne before entering Parliament.
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Farage has said the money was an unconditional personal gift intended to pay for his security and therefore did not have to be declared under parliamentary rules. The donation became public only after it was reported by a newspaper in April.
If the watchdog concludes Farage committed a serious breach of Parliament’s disclosure rules, he could be suspended from the House of Commons. A suspension of 10 sitting days or more could trigger a recall petition in his constituency.
The latest allegations come as Reform UK leads national opinion polls, bringing greater scrutiny to the party and its finances.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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