Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, listens a press conference in London, Monday, April 13, 2026. Nigel Farage has been described as “completely unfit for high office” after a fresh report claimed he may have broken parliamentary rules by not declaring benefits from an ally.
The Sunday Times says the Reform UK leader received support, including security and social media staff, from George Cottrell in the year leading up to Farage’s election as the MP for Clacton.
Cottrell was convicted of fraud in the US back in 2017.
The newspaper alleged Farage also used a property rented by Cottrell near Buckingham Palace.
All MPs must declare gifts or benefits worth over £300 to parliament dating back to the year before they are sworn into the Commons.
The guidelines add that purely personal gifts or benefits do not need to be registered.
The revelation comes as the Clacton MP is already facing a parliamentary sleaze probe for failing to declare a £5 million donation from a crypto-billionaire shortly before he decided to run for parliament.
Farage has offered differing explanations for the lump sum. He initially claimed it was to fund security, then alleged it was a reward for Brexit campaigning and finally told the media it was “none of your business” and he could spend the money on “Ferraris” if he wanted to.
His team have argued “no parliamentary rules have been broken” over Farage’s association with Cottrell, either.
Responding to the new report, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage and Reform are engulfed in a huge and growing scandal.
“It’s not going to go away, and trying to take the public for fools by saying it’s ‘none of your business’ won’t help.
“These new allegations of secret payments from a wealthy convicted criminal are on top of the ongoing scandal of his secret £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire.
“How much money has he been given, what did his donors get in return, and why has he tried to cover them up and avoid legitimate questions?
“Time and again Farage pretends to be on the side of working people.
“In reality he’s just in it for himself and can be bought by the highest bidder. He’s completely unfit for high office.”
Farage did register a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 donated by Cottrell, and added later a £15,276 donation for a US domestic flight from December 2025.
A spokesman for Farage hit back at the report, claiming: “It comes as no surprise that the Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election.
“Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken.”
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