A former MEP for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party has denied taking payments as part of a pro-Russian influence campaign.
David Coburn, who was also an MEP for UKIP and the former leader of the party in Scotland, has been named in a series of WhatsApp messages between an alleged “pawn” of Russia’s main security agency and disgraced former MEP Nathan Gill.
Coburn was the leader of UKIP in Scotland at the same time as Gill was the party leader in Wales, with the pair serving in the European Parliament together for five years.
After quitting UKIP in December 2018, Coburn joined the Brexit Party in February 2019 before standing down as an MEP in July that year.
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Last week, Gill was sentenced to ten-an-a-half years in jail for taking bribes to make pro-Russian statements and speeches during his time as an MEP.
In the messages, sent two months after Coburn joined the Brexit Party, Voloshyn discussed money apparently set aside for Coburn while he was bribing Gill.
Following the former Reform leader in Wales’ conviction, WhatsApp messages between him and Oleg Voloshyn, a former pro-Russian member of the Ukraine parliament, were released.
When asked by the BBC if he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigner, Coburn said “no.”
In a document submitted last week to the Old Bailey by the Crown Prosecution Service for Gill’s sentencing, there is a message from Voloshyn discussing a payment of $6,500 (£5,000) for another MEP.
The CPS claims the conversation, found on Gill’s seized mobile phone, is about participation in a meeting of the “editorial board” of two pro-Russian TV channels in Ukraine called 112 Ukraine and NewsOne.
The messages are about money Voloshyn gave Gill to be distributed between himself and “the other MEP”, who is referred to as “D” and “David”.
Coburn was the only man named David to publicly appear on the editorial board of the pro-Russian channels.
Following Gill’s conviction and sentencing, there has been growing concern about the threat of Russian influence in British politics.
This week, more than 70,000 have signed a petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on British politics and democracy.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has been urged to launch an independent investigation into his party. A number of Labour voices have called for this, including prime minister Keir Starmer.