NIGEL Farage is facing mounting pressure over the financial support given to him by a convicted criminal – as the Reform UK leader claims he has been the victim of an “establishment hit job”.
On Sunday, it emerged that Farage received financial benefits from George Cottrell in the year before entering Parliament, potentially breaking MPs’ rules by failing to declare them.
Long-time aide Cottrell provided cash for Farage’s staffing, security and housing, according to The Sunday Times.
The newspaper said Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage’s social media before the General Election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian townhouse he rented near Buckingham Palace.
“Posh George”, as he is nicknamed, is an aristocratic private banker who works closely with Farage. He has an unofficial role in Reform, and previously served eight months in an American prison for fraud. He admitted attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web by masquerading as a money launderer.
After becoming the MP for Clacton in 2024, Farage registered a £9000 trip to Belgium donated by Cottrell, and belatedly added £15,000 for a US domestic flight, but no other support.
Cottrell’s mother, Fiona Cottrell, is also one of Reform’s top donors, giving £750,000 to the party since the 2024 General Election.
Under rules in place at the time, new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
The rules also required MPs to bear in mind the purpose of the register of interests to provide information about financial interests “which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions”.
Reform denied that Farage had breached the code of conduct in response to the story.
Farage has now told the Daily Express the claims in the newspaper were an “establishment hit job”.
"I have done no wrongdoing, followed the rules and I am now considering legal action against The Sunday Times,” he told the right-wing tabloid.
“It's now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform – we want to smash their cosy consensus."
Robert Jenrick, Reform’s Treasury spokesperson, insisted that “no rules have been broken whatsoever” on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. He admitted that Cottrell paid for Farage’s security and staff in 2024, but it was before he became an MP.
He claimed Farage didn’t need to report this to the Parliamentary authorities as Cottrell is a “personal friend”, adding: “There's nothing to see here."
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said Farage should stop “blaming the media” and answer questions about the support from Cottrell.
“Reform’s excuses for the scandals engulfing Nigel Farage are getting pathetically weak,” the Cabinet minister said.
“His top team must be wondering how many more times they will be wheeled out to defend the indefensible only for the rap sheet against him to grow just hours later.
“This latest revelation appears to pour cold water on Farage’s claims that the gifts and support he received from a convicted criminal were not in support of his political activities.
“Nigel Farage must come out of hiding and level with the public. It’s time he stopped blaming the media and took responsibility for his actions.”
Labour and the LibDems have called for Parliament’s standards commissioner, who is already investigating a £5 million gift Farage received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne, to examine the support from Cottrell.
The Times reported Cottrell handed out a business card printed with his name, the Reform UK logo and Mr Farage’s official email address, despite having no formal role in the party.
Cottrell was arrested for wire fraud as he and Farage travelled back to Britain following a trip to the US.
He reportedly remains a close adviser to Farage after first becoming involved in Ukip as a volunteer in the run-up to the Brexit referendum.
Parliament’s standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is already investigating whether Farage should have registered an undisclosed £5 million gift from Thai-based billionaire Harborne.
If found to have breached the rules, Farage could face sanctions including a Commons suspension that could trigger a recall petition and a by-election in his seat.
Labour has called for a financial watchdog probe into whether Farage’s advocacy for cryptocurrency has benefitted Reform mega-donor Harborne, after reports he lobbied the Bank of England governor to scrap plans for a state-run, digital currency.
