Six claims the party has faced – from an undisclosed £5m gift to an alleged plot to bypass election laws
As Reform UK’s annual conference unfolded in Birmingham, the party was once again facing heightened scrutiny over its finances.
Two senior officials have been suspended after they were filmed in an undercover investigation appearing to plot to get around electoral laws on foreign donations.
Here we look at the various allegations related to finances levelled at the party and its leader, Nigel Farage, in recent years.
In 2025, it emerged that Farage had not – as he had claimed – bought a property in his parliamentary constituency of Clacton, in Essex: it had in fact been bought by his girlfriend, Laure Ferrari.
The Reform leader said he had “exchanged contracts” to buy the house in Essex in November 2024, saying it should deal with criticism that he does not spend enough time in the constituency.
But it emerged the detached property in an upmarket part of Clacton-on-Sea was solely bought by Ferrari. It was alleged that this allowed him legally to avoid higher-rate stamp duty on the purchase of an additional residential house, given that he already owns other properties.
Farage’s solicitors provided a statement to say they had received advice from a leading tax barrister, which concluded the stamp duty was properly calculated and there was no improper tax evasion.
The Guardian revealed in April 2026 that Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 UK general election.
Farage had stated he did not intend to stand as a prospective MP but made a U-turn in June 2024, within weeks of receiving the personal gift from the Thailand-based businessman.
In July 2024, Farage became an MP for the first time and has since stated he aspires to become prime minister at the next general election.
The Reform leader maintains the gift was accepted in a personal and non-political capacity, and therefore did not need to be declared to parliamentary authorities. While his explanations for receiving the money have changed, he has most consistently stuck with “security” as the reason behind taking the cash.
Lawyers for Harborne have said he “expected nothing in return” for the gift and “did not envisage Mr Farage returning to politics”.
Harborne’s gift is the subject of an inquiry by parliament’s standards commissioner, which resumed last month after Farage won a byelection in Clacton.
The Guardian revealed in July that the Met police are investigating donations worth £500,000 made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, whose son George is a longtime aide to Farage and a convicted fraudster in the US.
