Healey demands transparency over Farage’s £5m gift amid Russia and Iran concerns
Parliamentary standards watchdog Daniel Greenberg is also conducting a formal investigation into the undeclared donation, while AML Global asserts full compliance with international sanctions.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey has formally written to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage demanding full transparency regarding a £5 million gift received in 2024 from billionaire Christopher Harborne. The inquiry centres on whether any of the funds were derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies or if Harborne’s aviation fuel firm, AML Global, benefited from the recent conflict in Iran.
In a letter seen by the Guardian, Healey asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy entities. He further requested assurances that AML Global had complied fully with all sanctions on Russian energy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Defence Secretary emphasised that no fuel sourced from Russian-controlled refineries should have passed through the company’s supply chain, which covers more than 1,200 locations globally.
The correspondence also questioned whether Farage’s initial support for US-Israeli attacks on Iran was influenced by potential financial benefits to Harborne’s company from rising aviation fuel prices. Healey noted that these attacks led to Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz and asked if Farage’s political positioning was impacted by his financial interests. He clarified that he was not asking for the money to be returned, but rather for the books to be opened to ensure transparency.
If Farage cannot answer these questions with confidence, Healey has requested that he commit to a fully independent audit of AML Global’s supply chain and publish the results. Healey stated that the wider geopolitical situation places Reform UK under a "Russian cloud that only transparency can lift" and that the public is entitled to know whether financial interests were impacting political decisions.
Farage faces a separate formal investigation by parliamentary standards watchdog Daniel Greenberg over the undeclared donation. The gift, provided by British-Thai dual citizen Christopher Harborne, was not disclosed at the time, though Farage has argued it was an unconditional gift received before he announced his parliamentary candidacy. AML Global has stated it complies fully with all UK and international sanctions, screening counterparties against US, UK, EU, and UN databases.