Farage faces fresh scrutiny over undeclared benefits from convicted ally before taking MP seat

Nigel Farage ‘secretly funded by criminal aristocrat who calls him Daddy’

Farage and Cottrell have been close allies for years (Picture: BACKGRID) Nigel Farage is facing fresh accusations he broke MPs’ rules by failing to declare financial benefits he received from a convicted criminal in the year before he entered Parliament. Staffing, security and housing was allegedly supplied to the Reform UK leader by his long-time aide George Cottrell. The Sunday Times reports that Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage’s social media before the 2024 general election. The newspaper also claims that Farage has continued to use a property rented by Cottrell near Buckingham Palace. Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare financial interests and ‘registrable benefits’ received in the 12 months before their election. George Cottrell pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2017 Everything is changing, all the time Cut through political noise and understand how the Westminster chaos actually affects your life with Metro's politics newsletter Alright, Gov? Sign up here. While Farage did register a £9,253 trip to Belgium and a £15,276 US domestic flight, both donated by Cottrell, he has not listed any other support from the backer in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The Brexit campaigner is already facing an investigation by the Commons sleaze watchdog over an undeclared £5 million gift from Christopher Harborne Reform UK has denied that any parliamentary rules had been broken over his relationship to Cottrell and called the Sunday Times’ story ‘baseless’. Robert Jenrick, Reform’s Economic spokesman, said during interviews this morning that ‘no rules had been broken whatsoever. This is a very old story that has been dredged up… to try and drag Nigel down’. Cottrell, who is a long-standing ally of Farage from his time as a UKIP volunteer, was jailed for eight months in the US in 2017 after pleading guilty to a charge of wire fraud. He was arrested as he and Farage were travelling back to the UK following a trip to the US. Cottrell, who calls Farage ‘Daddy’, admitted attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web by posing as a money launderer. The Farage-ally is described by the Sunday Times as a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and is involved in offshore gambling site Tether.bet. In the year before the 2024 general election, Cottrell allegedly recruited and paid people to revamp Farage’s social media, transforming his online profile into one of the most influential in the country. The Sunday Times reports that Farage continues to use Cottrell’s ultra-luxury Georgian townhouse close to Buckingham Palace. Cottrell’s lawyer told the paper: ‘As a close friend, our client did, and does, allow Mr Farage to stay in our client’s rental property.’ However, a source denied to the BBC that Farage received accommodation from Cottrell. Cottrell allegedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage’s social media before the 2024 general election (Picture: Ben Cawthra/LNP) Jenrick told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Cottrell ‘did give support’ to Farage before he became an MP. He added: ‘He has not done so since he became a Member of Parliament. No rules have been broken whatsoever. ‘This is a very old story which has been dredged up The Sunday Times, which is a Labour-supporting newspaper, in order to try and drag Nigel down and it is not going to succeed.’ Reform UK said: ‘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.’ 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 £5m 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.’ Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

4 hours ago

Dissatisfaction In Nigel Farage As Reform Leader Rises Amid Fresh Scrutiny, Poll Shows

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, drinks a cup of tea as he meets supporters after a news conference in London on April 2, 2026.Dissatisfaction in Nigel Farage has increased over the last year amid growing scrutiny over his finances, according to a new poll.Ipsos found almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits said they are “dissatisfied” with the Reform UK leader in June 2026 compared to 49% in June 2025.That number far exceeds the number who are still satisfied in Farage – just 26% said they were happy with the Clacton MP this year, compared to 26% in 2025.The findings come as the Clacton MP is under investigation for not declaring a £5 million donation from a crypto-billionaire shortly before he was sworn into parliament.He insists he has not broken any parliamentary rules as the lump sum was not used for political purposes.The Sunday Times has also revealed that Farage did not declare the support he received from convicted criminal George Cottrell prior to his election.A Reform spokesperson replied: “Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken.”The party’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick also insisted on Sky News on Sunday that heightened scrutiny on Farage’s finances has not had an impact on their popularity.Indeed, pollsters at Ipsos found 26% of Brits would vote for Reform if a general election were held tomorrow.That means Farage’s party has held onto its comfortable lead in the opinion polls even during the heightened scrutiny.However, Labour appears to have closed much of the gap behind Reform, and is just two points behind on 24%.The party’s improvement in the polls comes amid speculation that Andy Burnham is going to take over from Keir Starmer.There’s something going on with Nigel Farage’s poll ratings. See here from @Ipsos_in_the_UKJob satisfaction June 2025Satisfied 34%Dissatisfied 49%June 2026Satisfied 26% (-8)Dissatisfied 63% (+14)Today’s headlines unlikely to help. pic.twitter.com/edDx7TbWIQ— Keiran Pedley (@keiranpedley) July 5, 2026Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Robert Jenrick Furiously Denies Trevor Phillips' Claim Farage Is A 'Liability' Amid New AllegationsNigel Farage Dubbed 'Unfit For High Office' Amid Fresh Scrutiny Over Reform Leader's TransparencyIs Nigel Farage’s Political Career Really 'Dead In The Water'?

4 hours ago

Nigel Farage Dubbed 'Unfit For High Office' Amid Fresh Scrutiny Over Reform Leader's Transparency

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.”Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Is Nigel Farage’s Political Career Really 'Dead In The Water'?Reform MP Defends 'Hounded' Farage After Party Leader's Huge £4m Property Portfolio RevealedKeir Starmer Skewers Nigel Farage Over Undeclared £5m Gift In Spiky PMQs Moment

6 hours ago