Farage admits Reform return talks before election, reopening £5m gift questions

Farage reveals Reform talks

The Reform leader confirmed on Monday he had spoken to then-leader Richard Tice about what would happen to the party's finances if he came back.

What Farage said about the £5m gift

Farage told the BBC he had discussed the “potential liabilities” of a comeback, but insisted it “wasn't a deal, it wasn't an agreement” and that the talks came “quite some time after” he received the money.

The £5m came from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, which Farage has repeatedly described as an “unconditional gift” intended for his personal security and “not political in any sense at all”.

The Guardian first revealed the donation in April, and opponents say it should have been declared in the MPs' register once he was elected in July 2024.

Labour said the admission had “blown a gaping hole” in his argument for not declaring the gift.

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner had been examining whether Farage broke the rules before the process was suspended. The fresh admission comes with Reform under scrutiny on several fronts and Farage battling plummeting poll ratings.