Reports suggest Farage was given a fee of £1.5 million for appearing on the ITV show
Farage making an appearance in Romford on May 8(Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Reform UK has said Nigel Farage used money he received for taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! to pay for a £1.4 million property.
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. According to the broadcaster, property records show the purchase of the property was completed in May that year, weeks before he decided to stand in the general election.
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. Reform UK have also said the property was paid for using funds which the party leader gained from participating in the November 2023 series of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity.
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For participating in the series, in which he finished thrid, reports suggest Mr Farage was given a fee of £1.5 million.
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.”
Reform UK is understood by the Press Association to be considering legal options in response to the report.
The Reform UK leader is facing an investigation by the Commons watchdog over the undeclared £5 million gift. Mr Farage previously said there is “no case to answer”, adding the gift was not connected to his political activity and was needed to pay for private security for the rest of his life.
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, PA understands. Rule five 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.”
Mr Farage was reportedly docked £35,000 in 2018 – half his monthly salary as a member of the European Parliament – following claims he misspent EU funds. The BBC said he was said to have been investigated over accusations his office assistant had not been working on EU matters.
