Farage faces scrutiny over undeclared £5m gift and unverified Russian hack claim
The National Cyber Security Centre reports no record of the alleged intrusion, while ministers question the origins of the money amid an investigation into potential code of conduct breaches.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is facing intensifying political and media scrutiny over his failure to declare a £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, compounded by his allegation that the disclosure was the result of a state-sponsored Russian cyberattack. Farage claims that analysis conducted by 'counter-espionage experts' indicates that his phone, email, and bank accounts were compromised by hostile actors linked to Moscow via spear-phishing tactics.
The Guardian has dismissed the allegation as a deflection tactic, with a spokesperson describing the claim as a baseless attack on the media designed to avoid legitimate scrutiny of Farage’s financial affairs. The newspaper asserted that its investigation into the undeclared gift was independent and rejected the suggestion that it obtained information from a Russian hack.
Both the Labour and Conservative parties have demanded that Farage hand any evidence of the alleged intrusion to Britain’s security services. Labour spokespersons emphasised the seriousness of foreign interference, urging Farage to come clean regarding how the secret funds were spent and why they were not declared. Conservative party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Farage of playing the Russia card conveniently, referencing the party’s history with Kremlin-linked figures and Farage’s past comments on Vladimir Putin.
The National Cyber Security Centre stated it is unaware of any report from Farage regarding the alleged hack. A Reform source contradicted Farage’s description of the funds as a 'gift', referring to it as a 'donation' in comments to the Mail on Sunday. Farage initially claimed the money was for his lifelong security, later describing it as an unconditional reward for 27 years of Brexit campaigning.
Ministers have raised concerns that some of Harborne’s wealth may originate from Russian-linked business interests. Defence Secretary John Healey challenged Farage to clarify if the funds came from such profits. Meanwhile, the parliamentary commissioner for standards has launched an investigation into whether Farage breached the MPs’ code of conduct by failing to register the financial interest.