Fraudster George Cottrell seen at numerous Reform events despite ‘no formal role’ in party

Nigel Farage has been accompanied by his friend George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, to numerous Reform events and fundraisers and a trip to Abu Dhabi, raising questions about the claim that he has no official role in the party.Labour has called on Farage to clarify his “personal and financial dependence” on Cottrell, who has also been supporting his lifestyle through accommodation and security before the election.Analysis of Reform events shows Cottrell is frequently present at party press conferences and backstage at rallies, as well as joining Farage for media appearances, such as interviews with protesters outside the Iranian embassy earlier this year.He was also in attendance when Farage visited north London after a terror attack on the Jewish community, and at a Brexit “bad boys” reunion lunch at a Mayfair restaurant last month.Farage (centre) with Cottrell (right) at L’Escargot Restaurant in London in January 2020 to watch the unveiling of a portrait of himself titled Mr Brexit. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PAIn December 2025, Cottrell was present when Farage went to Abu Dhabi, funded by its government, to “attend the F1 and for meetings”. Nick Candy, the party’s honorary treasurer, was also there.The Guardian has also previously revealed that Cottrell was present on a 2022 trip to Thailand with Farage at the resort of Christopher Harborne, the megadonor who has given £15m to the party and £5m to Farage personally.Reform and Cottrell’s lawyers have previously said Cottrell “is an unpaid volunteer with no formal role at Reform UK, like many thousands of party members”.However, Farage is under pressure to clarify the degree of Cottrell’s influence within Reform, given he so often has access to the party leader and joins him at events and on trips.Who is George Cottrell, the mystery donor who has potentially landed Nigel Farage in hot water?The Times reported this week that Cottrell had given out a business card with his name on and an official email address for Farage, as well as having provided security, accommodation and staffing for the Reform leader before the election.In 2016 Cottrell was charged with 21 offences for his alleged role in a “dark money” laundering scheme. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and spent time in prison in Arizona, though he is seeking a pardon from Donald Trump.Cottrell in custody. Photograph: Federal Bureau of PrisonsReform acknowledged on Sunday that gifts had been received from Cottrell but said they had been personal gifts to Farage unconnected with his political activities and so did not need to be disclosed.Robert Jenrick, Reform’s financial spokesperson, accepted that Farage had stayed in Cottrell’s house “a couple of times” and had private security paid for by him but argued: “Reform have been completely open about this.”The revelations have added to questions about how Farage has financed his lifestyle before and since becoming an MP.The Guardian revealed earlier this year that the Reform leader had not declared a £5m donation from Harborne just before he announced his intention to stand for parliament. The parliamentary standards commissioner is expected to report within weeks on whether Farage broke the rules by failing to declare the donation given in 2024.Harborne, Farage and Cottrell during a lunch in London in July 2020. Photograph: MJ-Pictures.comAnna Turley, the chair of the Labour party, said: “The dam has well and truly burst on this scandal and Reform can’t hold it back. Farage can keep pretending there’s nothing to see, but his personal and financial dependence on a convicted criminal … is not just a private matter, it goes to the heart of who he and his party stand up for and whose side they’re on.“Reform’s top team know this scandal isn’t going away. It’s time for Farage to wake up and smell the coffee. He can’t keep hiding from scrutiny and changing his story each time new evidence emerges. He owes the public an explanation and he can only do that by putting all the evidence on the table. If he doesn’t the British people will rightly be left wondering what else he is hiding.”Reform did not respond to a request for comment about Cottrell’s role in the party and presence at official events.In response to the business card story, a spokesperson for Reform and Cottrell’s lawyers told the Times: “George Cottrell is an unpaid volunteer with no formal role at Reform UK, like many thousands of party members.“The business card was designed to help donors or other members of the public easily get in touch with Nigel Farage’s office. It was not intended to suggest any formal position or authority. Mr Cottrell has never held an official role within the party.”Ministers on Monday confirmed a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors. However, Labour MPs are pushing the government to go even further with its new rules, including introducing an outright cap on all political donations.Stella Creasy, the MP for Walthamstow, has promised to bring an amendment to the representation of the people bill to cap donations at £100,000, something the government says would damage the political process.Creasy said: “Every week brings more evidence – like the allegations regarding Cottrell – of the need to act to prevent the very notion any UK politician has a price tag. It is decimating public confidence in all of us.“Capping donations at £100,000 from any single individual in a calendar year would put a stop to the idea any millionaire’s voice matters more than someone else’s and protect those who want to support causes they care about on all sides. Every party is chasing big donations – if we want to defend democracy, we need to step in now before it’s too late.”