Reform UK’s deputy leader is being investigated by parliamentary authorities for failing to declare an interest during a debate on Israeli influence in Britain.
The parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, confirmed Richard Tice was being investigated on Monday morning.
The probe relates to a Westminster Hall debate the Boston and Skegness MP took part in.
Mr Tice claimed that the investigation, which opened last week, was over “whether I should have referenced my register of interests at the start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence”.
Without naming the group he was referring to, he wrote on X: “Contrary to garbage in media: Standards Commissioner is considering complaint by anti semitic anti Israel lobby group over whether I should have referenced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence.
“The same anti Israel group failed to notify Commissioner that Ayoub Khan MP did not declare his substantial donation received from a pro Palestine group. Funny that...”
It comes after the standards watchdog last week declined to investigate a complaint made against Mr Tice over an undeclared loan of nearly £80,000 from convicted fraudster George Cottrell, who is a close ally of party leader Nigel Farage.
Police launched an investigation into payments made to Reform UK by a company run by Mr Tice before the 2024 general election.
Mr Farage was facing a parliamentary probe over support provided to him by Mr Cottrell and was also under investigation over a £5 million gift from Thai-based crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne.
The investigations were paused when he resigned as the MP for Clacton and announced he would stand in the subsequent by-election.
Under Commons’ rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they have received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.
Aristocrat Mr Cottrell, 32, reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.
Mr Farage has previously claimed that parliamentary standards investigations are “now being used as a political tool” and has suggested “the establishment” had chosen to use “foul means” to beat Reform UK.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Reform sleaze scandals continue to pile up.
“Richard Tice is now under investigation by the Standards Commissioner, on top of his firm avoiding paying £600,000 in tax.
“This means that both Reform's leader and deputy leader now have standards investigations hanging over them.
"With police probes, Nigel Farage's secret £5 million gift, and reports of funding from a convicted fraudster - it's clear Reform think the rules just don't apply to them."
