Nigel Farage referred to standards watchdog over undisclosed £5m gift

Nigel Farage has been referred to parliament’s standards watchdog after the Guardian revealed he received an undeclared £5m gift from a party donor.The referral was made by the Conservative party, citing rules that require MPs to declare any “personal benefit” they have received in the 12 months before taking office, and to do so within a month of being elected.The gift from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne fell within that period. Some personal gifts are exempt from the reporting rules if they “could not reasonably be thought by others to be related to membership of the house or to the member’s parliamentary or political activities”, according to the code of conduct and rules for MPs.The rules add: “Both the possible motive of the giver and the use to which the gift is to be put should be considered. If there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered.”Christopher Harborne in 2022. Lawyers acting for him did not offer a comment. Photograph: George Cracknell Wright/LNPFarage had stated he did not intend to stand as a prospective MP but U-turned in June 2024, within weeks of receiving the personal gift from Harborne. A spokesperson for Reform said the gift and Farage’s decision to stand as an MP were “entirely unrelated”.The Reform UK leader said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, after he was approached by the Guardian for comment on its exclusive story, that the gift was made because “Christopher is an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety”.Farage has also received taxpayer-funded security since becoming an MP, but it was reported that this was reduced last year. A spokesperson for Reform UK said: “He does not receive any state-funded security.”Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory party chair, said Farage had been “obliged” to declare the gift. He said: “The Conservatives are today referring Nigel Farage to the parliamentary standards commissioner. This £5m from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne raises serious questions. What is Nigel Farage hiding? And why does Reform think the rules don’t apply to them? This stinks and Reform should come clean now.”The Labour party said it appeared that Farage had broken the rules by failing to declare the gift. “It’s just the latest alarming example of Farage and his MPs believing there is one rule for them and another for everyone else,” said Anna Turley, the Labour party chair.Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader, said: “It looks like Farage has been bought out … but he’s deluded if he thinks the British people will stand for this. Farage must come clean on whether he promised anything to Harborne in exchange for this eye-watering amount of money. There must also be a proper investigation into the Reform leader’s links to crypto to see if his actions amount to market abuse.”Labour’s Phil Brickell, the chair of the all-parliamentary group on anti-corruption, said: “This goes to the heart of trust, transparency and integrity in public life. The standards system only works if it’s enforced. The standards commissioner must investigate – urgently.”Lawyers acting for Harborne did not offer a comment when previously asked by the Guardian about the gift.A Reform UK spokesperson said it did not need to be declared because it was a “personal unconditional gift”. They added: “We have complied with all relevant rules and regulations.”