NIGEL Farage has been cleared of wrongdoing after a parliamentary probe into his claim to “own a commercial fishing boat”.
The Reform UK leader was investigated by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, after a complaint from a member of the House of Lords.
The complaint had quoted an interview that Farage gave to GB News in April 2025 in which he said: “I’m the only Member of Parliament that has a financial stake in the commercial fishing industry […] I own a commercial fishing boat […] I have a skipper who runs that boat…”
However, no mention of a commercial interest in fishing was made on Farage’s register of interests, prompting speculation about what the media termed his “mysterious” fishing boat.
Now, the standards probe has concluded that Farage did not breach the code of conduct after details of his stake in the fishing boat were revealed.
The Reform UK leader told the investigation that he did not directly own the boat, but it was technically the property of his company Thorn In The Side Ltd.
His son Tom Farage is the skipper and owns the commercial fishing licence.
Farage wrote: “Accordingly, I have received no income at all from the vessel, which is a depreciating asset.
“My company owns many other things, including historical objects, property etc.
“I do not regard assets that produce no income to be declarable, furthermore, my directorship of Thorn in the Side is registered.”
The commissioner concluded that, as Farage had registered his interest in the company, he did not need to register every piece of property that company owned.
Greenberg wrote: “I have reached this decision based on the information that you have provided, specifically that the commercial fishing vessel, to your ownership of which you were reported by the media as adverting, is in fact owned by Thorn In The Side Limited, a company your interest in which is registered.
“I have also taken into account the advice of the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests who has stated that the rules do not require members to register assets wholly owned by a company of which they are a shareholder.”
In 2014, the Daily Mail reported on how then Ukip-leader Farage used his Thorn In The Side Ltd company to cut the tax bill on his earnings from media appearances in half.
Companies House lists Farage as the sole director and controlling person of the firm, having been appointed in May 2011.
