Farage accepts £5m from billionaire before uk election

Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party, received a £5m personal gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election.

Farage's u-turn

Farage had already stated he did not intend to stand as a prospective MP but reversed his decision within weeks of receiving the generous donation from Harborne. In July 2024, Farage became an MP for the first time and has since suggested he now expects to become prime minister at the next general election.

The £5m gift underlines the influential role Harborne has played in British politics, bankrolling Farage personally and the parties he has led over the past seven years. Harborne's donations have previously included a £10m contribution to the Brexit party ahead of the 2019 election and £9m to Reform UK last year, the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party.

Farage initially declined to run as an MP in the 2024 election, citing financial concerns, but accepted Harborne's gift and changed his mind days later. He has insisted that the money was for personal security, not in exchange for political favors.

Farage's acceptance of the gift may raise questions about transparency in politicians' finances, particularly given his past claims of being