Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property using money he received for taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Reform UK has said.
Sky News reported on Thursday that the party leader had paid for the house in 2024, shortly after receiving a £5 million personal gift from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne.
Property records show the purchase of the property was completed in May that year, weeks before he decided to stand in the general election, according to the broadcaster.
Mr Farage has insisted there is no connection between the gift from Thailand-based crypto-investor Mr Harborne, who has donated millions to Reform UK, and the property purchase.
The party said on Friday that the house was paid for using funds received for participating in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity reality series, which he did in November 2023.
Reports suggested he was given a fee of £1.5 million for the show, in which he finished third.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “The relevant chronology is straightforward. The offer and purchase process for the property commenced before the gift.
“Mr Farage had already passed proof of funds and the relevant checks before receiving the gift. The purchase was therefore already proceeding independently of it.”
Commenting on X, Mr Farage said on Thursday: “This is fake news by the establishment media who will do anything to hurt Reform as we challenge their cosy consensus.
“I had passed proof-of-funds and the relevant checks before receiving the gift.
“Sky News did not publish that part of our statement despite knowing the truth.”
The Press Association understands Reform UK is considering legal options in response to the report.
Mr Farage is facing an investigation by the Commons sleaze watchdog over the undeclared £5 million gift, over which he had previously said there is “no case to answer”.
The Reform UK leader has said the gift was not connected to his political activity and was needed to pay for private security for the rest of his life.
PA understands Mr Farage was referred to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg, and the watchdog has opened an investigation under rule five of the MPs’ code of conduct.
This rule specifies new MPs should register relevant financial interests received in the 12 months before their election within one month of entering Parliament.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, Mr Farage said the gift was given on a “completely unconditional basis”, adding: “Frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years.”
When it was suggested the gift may have influenced his decision to return to public life, Mr Farage said: “I can’t be bought by anybody, not even Elon Musk.”
Reports had previously suggested a donation to Reform could be made through a branch of Mr Musk’s X company, though relations between Mr Farage and the tech billionaire have cooled since.
Mr Farage said in his interview: “He wanted to give us a load of money if I said certain things publicly and I refused.
“I didn’t do it so I made an enemy of Elon Musk, but that shows you I am my own man. I make my own mind up.”
In 2018, Mr Farage was reportedly docked £35,000 – half his monthly salary as a member of the European Parliament – following claims he misspent EU funds.
He was said to have been investigated over accusations his office assistant had not been working on EU matters, the BBC said.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, said Mr Farage should “come clean” about what the money from Mr Harborne was for.
“We all know that if Keir Starmer had received a £5 million in cash as a gift and didn’t tell anyone, Nigel Farage would be using this to attack him every single day,” Mrs Badenoch told the Press Association at an electrical engineering manufacturer in Saffron Walden.
She added: “£5 million is a fortune, it would take a nurse about 128 years to earn that kind of money.
“What was it for? We don’t want our politics to be bought in this country. The transparency rules are there for a reason.”
