Nigel Farage Claims £5M Harborne Gift Was a 'Reward' for Brexit Campaigning

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has stated that the £5 million ($6.7 million) donation he received from billionaire cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne was a "reward" for his 27 years of campaigning for Brexit. Farage made the claim during an interview with The Sun’s Editor-At-Large, Harry Cole, just days after it was revealed that he would face an official government inquiry over the undisclosed gift.

Farage asserted that the money was given "on an unconditional basis" and described it as "a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years." However, he had previously claimed that Harborne provided the funds to cover his security expenses.

In the same interview, Farage also denied being "bought," stating that he refused a "load of money" from Elon Musk to make certain public statements, though he did not disclose what those statements were.

Harborne’s Financial Support for Reform UK and Farage

Christopher Harborne, a major shareholder in the stablecoin Tether, has donated over £22 million ($29.5 million) to Reform UK over the past seven years. In August 2025, Harborne contributed £9 million ($12 million) to the party. The following month, Farage promoted Tether on the talk show LBC and criticized the Bank of England’s strict stance on stablecoins.

Additionally, Farage has reportedly earned more than £370,000 ($496,000) through paid appearances on the personal messaging platform Cameo. Some of his messages on the platform were deemed highly controversial.

Allegations of Election Interference

Former Reform UK Deputy Leader Ben Habib alleged this week that Harborne gave Farage £1 million in late 2022 after Harborne, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Farage "sewed up" the UK’s 2019 general election. Habib claimed that Harborne paid £1 million each to Farage and Johnson to influence the election in Johnson’s favor. He also suggested that the £5 million gift Farage received in 2024 was part of this arrangement.

Farage has since threatened to sue Ben Habib over these allegations. The Sun did not press Farage on these claims during the interview, dedicating only about three minutes of the nearly 26-minute discussion to the undisclosed gift.

Questions Over Declaration of the Gift

According to The Guardian, the £5 million donation was given to Farage just weeks before he publicly reversed his decision and announced his candidacy in the upcoming general election. His announcement came one month after he initially stated he would not run, raising questions about whether he was required to declare the gift under parliamentary rules.

UK parliamentary rules mandate that Members of Parliament "must register all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election."