Former NCSC chief dismisses Farage’s Russian hack allegations as unsubstantiated
The founding chief of the National Cyber Security Centre says claims that a Guardian report on a £5m donation resulted from a state-sponsored cyber-attack lack merit and require substantive investigation.
Ciaran Martin, the founding chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), has rejected Nigel Farage’s assertion that a Guardian report concerning a £5m donation was the product of a Russian cyber-attack. Martin described the allegation as “without any merit” and “entirely unsubstantiated,” noting that the Reform UK leader has yet to provide a shred of evidence to support the claim.
The controversy stems from an inquiry by parliament’s commissioner for standards into Farage’s failure to declare a 2024 donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. While parliamentary transparency rules require the registration of political gifts above a certain threshold, Farage maintains the sum was exempt as it was personal and intended for his security. The Guardian subsequently published details of the gift, prompting Farage to allege a Russian “hack-and-leak” operation was responsible.
Martin, whose agency operates under GCHQ, characterised the allegation as an “unprecedentedly aggressive intervention” in British democracy. He stated that if the claim were true, it would constitute a malicious intervention with massive implications for UK foreign policy towards Russia, potentially warranting an emergency session of the COBR committee. However, he emphasised that the onus remains on Farage to report the matter to the appropriate authorities rather than making public accusations without proof.
Reform UK has previously cited analysis by “counter-espionage experts” suggesting that Farage’s phone, email, and bank accounts were compromised by hostile actors linked to Moscow via spear phishing tactics. Martin questioned the credentials and methodology of these experts, noting that Farage has not identified them or published any technical evidence. He described attributing a hack to the Russian state based on a single device analysis as a “hell of a technical leap,” adding that “Russians don’t leave a little flag on a device.”
The NCSC chief stressed that attributing such operations requires substantive investigation beyond private sector capabilities. He urged Farage to cooperate fully with the NCSC and other relevant authorities, warning that serious accusations of this magnitude should not be “bandied around” without factual backing. A Guardian spokesperson responded to the allegations by describing them as an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of Farage’s financial affairs.