One of Nigel Farage’s closest allies admitted the Reform leader was not following the party line when he said a £5million gift was a reward for his Brexit campaigning, undercover footage shows
Nigel Farage is under investigation by the Standards Commissioner over his alleged failure to declare a £5million gift he received(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Zinc Television)
One of Nigel Farage’s closest allies admitted the Reform leader was not following the party line when he said a £5million gift was a reward for his Brexit campaigning, new undercover footage shows.
Dan Jukes appeared to suggest Mr Farage slipped up, saying the comment was not the “line to take from the press office”. The Reform leader had initially insisted the £5m was to pay for his personal security but in May suggested it was a thank you for Brexit.
Mr Farage is under investigation by the Standards Commissioner over his alleged failure to declare £5m he received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before the 2024 general election. Separately, Mr Jukes last month stepped down as Mr Farage’s aide after he appeared to discuss getting around foreign donations laws in a sting by undercover reporters.
In new footage released by the Guardian, Mr Jukes quipped that the undercover reporter posing as a donor could give him a £5m gift when they were discussing how to benefit from money from abroad. He said: “I’m happy to take a £5m personal, unconditional gift, of course. I know a guy.”
After the reporter said “that seems like it’s been quite tough”, Mr Jukes added: “I’m a realist and I bat straight and it’s a little bit awkward.” The reporter then asked whether Mr Farage had “changed the line” on the £5m gift on purpose, to which Mr Jukes said: “No… it was not deliberate.”
He added: “That was not the line to take from the press office. So I think now the line is it was a thank you for Brexit to pay for security so he is safe for the rest of his life.”
Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: “Nigel Farage’s excuses for the £5million ‘gift’ from an overseas crypto-billionaire have never stacked up. Now his own senior aides have been caught saying it privately. It’s time for Farage to finally fess up with the public about what the money is for.”
In May, Mr Farage told the Sun: “It’s very unusual for someone to give up 27 years of their life to campaign for something. And this was given to me on an unconditional basis, completely unconditional basis. But frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years.”
In interviews in June, the tetchy Reform leader said it’s not the public’s business how he spends the money, and that can splash it on Ferraris or betting on horseracing if he wants. He previously said the sum was to pay for his security. A spokesman for Mr Farage said: “The transcript you’re referring to accurately describes that the gift was for his security for the rest of his life.”
Last month, Mr Jukes was forced to step down after a sting by Channel 4 and undercover group Verbatim appeared to show him discussing how to disguise donations from foreign donors. Scotland Yard is investigating the claims. He denies wrongdoing.
Footage appeared to show Mr Jukes and former policy chief James Orr seeking to orchestrate funds from journalists posing as a wealthy American and his UK-based son. This included £32,500 for polls that made the front pages news, which Reform had allegedly commissioned.
It emerged earlier this month that Mr Farage has been interviewed by the parliamentary watchdog over the £5m probe, with the result of the investigation soon expected. Commons rules state new MPs must declare relevant gifts and donations in the previous 12 months.
Reform UK is also facing pressure after a documentary by ITV Exposure and Hardcash Productions, which aired on Sunday night, appeared to show Reform figures making sexist, racist and other concerning comments.
