Nigel Farage was paid £270,000 to promote London gold dealer

The 'man of the people' was paid an hourly rate of £22,500 per hour

According to the latest register of MPs’ financial interests, Farage received the fee from London-based company Direct Bullion on May 29.

The money was for 12 hours of work spread over three months, which works out at an hourly rate of £22,500 per hour.

The sum is the biggest single payment Farage has received as an MP, and is double the fee Direct Bullion paid him in 2025, the Financial Times reports.

There is no suggestion that Farage has done anything wrong, with a spokesperson for Reform telling the HuffPost: “As has previously been reported and declared, Nigel Farage is a Brand Ambassador for Direct Bullion.”

Farage is currently embroiled in controversy over a secret £5m payment he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024. The Clacton MP is facing a Parliamentary Standards investigation over the payment, which he has described as an “unconditional gift.”

The revelation of his eye-watering Direct Bullion fee comes on the eve of a debate in the Commons over whether MPs should be allowed to have second jobs.

The debate was brought forward by Labour MP Richard Burgon, who on Monday wrote to Farage inviting him to attend the debate.

Burgon wrote: “When MPs are chasing lucrative second jobs, far from bringing in valuable outside experience, as some claim, it leaves them out of touch with the people they are elected to represent, many of whom are experiencing a deep cost-of-living crisis.

“It also undermines public confidence in politics, which has hit record lows in recent years.

“If MPs want to earn huge amounts through private sector work, they are, of course, entitled to. But they should resign from Parliament before doing so.

“As one of the MPs with the highest outside earnings, I appreciate that you are likely to disagree. I therefore hope you will attend the debate and explain why you believe Members of Parliament should be permitted to earn vast sums from second jobs.”

In May, Farage’s income since becoming an MP surpassed £2m. Despite the huge £270,000 payment from Direct Bullion, the company is not his main earner.

Instead, it is GB News who have paid Farage the most since he became the MP for Clacton in 2024, with Farage having earned more than £700,000 from the channel.