Nigel Farage has been reported to the Metropolitan police over his non-disclosure of a £5 million sum he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
For months, Farage has faced questions and scrutiny over the money, which he received shortly before announcing he would stand as an MP in Clacton.
A parliamentary standards investigation was launched into whether the Reform leader should have declared the money, given that Commons rules state all MPs must declare potentially relevant gifts and donations from the 12 months before they enter Parliament.
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This investigation was paused following Farage’s resignation as an MP, and looks set to be relaunched after he claims an expected by-election win in Clacton.
Despite Farage’s arguments that the money was not political, many reckon something doesn’t add up about it all.
From the politician and Reform’s differing claims about why he was sent the money to reports that he received the sum after saying he would require ‘£1m a year’ to return to politics, some reckon an investigation outside of the walls of parliament is also necessary.
Activist groups Compassion in Politics and Unlock Democracy have reported Farage to the police, claiming his decision not to declare the money could amount to a criminal offence of misconduct in public office.
Speaking to Byline Times, Unlock Democracy director Tom Brake said: “Whilst it is clear Mr Farage denies any wrongdoing regarding the £5 million donation he received, we have asked the Met to assess whether his role as a public officer, the size and timing of the donation, combined with the requirements placed on MPs to report financial interests… provide the basis for police inquiries.”
Jennifer Nadel, director of Compassion in Politics, said: “Democracy depends on trust and transparency.
“With trust in politicians at a dangerously low level, it is essential that those who hold public office are held and seen to be held to the highest standards.”
The full letter reads:
Dear Commissioner,
Re: Request for investigation into possible misconduct in public office
We write to ask the Metropolitan Police to investigate whether Nigel Farage MP may have committed the offence of misconduct in public office, in connection with the reported non-disclosure of the £5 million he received before he entered Parliament.
Mr Farage denies wrongdoing.
As you will know, misconduct in public office is committed when:
a public officer acting as such
wilfully neglects to perform their duty and/or wilfully misconducts themselves
to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder
without reasonable excuse or justification
Since his election in July 2024 Mr Farage has been a public officer (MPs are held to be public officers).We ask the Met to consider whether he wilfully neglected to perform his duty (as set out in parliamentary rules) to report receiving this £5 million. The MPs Code of Conduct ‘requires new Members, within one month of their election, to register all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election.’ We also ask the Met to consider whether not declaring a very large donation, thereby avoiding the scrutiny that such a donation would attract, constitutes wilful misconduct.
The code also states that, ‘When considering registration, Members are also required to keep in mind the overall purpose of the Register, which is to provide information about any financial interest or other material benefit which a Member receives which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions, speeches or votes in Parliament, or actions taken in his or her capacity as a Member of Parliament. If a Member has any financial interests which meet that purpose but which do not fall clearly into one of the defined categories, he or she is nonetheless required to register them, normally under the Miscellaneous category.’
The failure to disclose the £5 million, a significant material benefit which could ‘reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions, speeches or votes in Parliament, or actions taken in his or her capacity as a Member of Parliament’, might constitute an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder.
MPs are expected to understand and follow the MPs Code of Conduct and it is not clear what reasonable excuse or justification there can be for not doing so.
We consider, given the scale of the reported payment, the public office Nigel Farage now holds, the existing parliamentary standards process, and the forthcoming Clacton by-election, the matter merits investigation.
A reported payment of £5 million to someone who shortly afterwards became an MP raises serious questions about potential influence, independence, transparency and public trust. Past cases involving parliamentarians’ financial conduct have shown that such matters are not automatically confined to internal parliamentary processes where the facts may point to possible criminal wrongdoing.
To summarise we ask the Metropolitan Police to:
investigate possible misconduct in public office by Nigel Farage in relation to the £5 million gift or donation he received
confirm whether an investigation has been initiated
We look forward to your response.Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Nadel
CEO, Compassion in Politics
Tom Brake
CEO, Unlock Democracy