Nigel Farage has faced fresh questions over undisclosed gifts after reports claimed he accepted support from a crypto entrepreneur with a US fraud conviction while serving as Reform UK leader.
Summary
- Nigel Farage has denied wrongdoing after reports claimed he received undisclosed gifts from crypto linked adviser George Cottrell before entering Parliament.
- The allegations add to an ongoing parliamentary investigation into Farage’s financial ties with Tether investor Christopher Harborne and his crypto related lobbying.
- Reform UK has continued to back pro crypto policies even as scrutiny of Farage’s financial relationships has intensified.
According to The Sunday Times, Farage received staff, security, transport and accommodation from longtime adviser George Cottrell, an aristocrat linked to the crypto gambling platform Tether.bet, but did not publicly disclose those benefits. The report said the support included drivers, security personnel, social media staff, and access to a rented five-story property near Buckingham Palace.
Responding on Sunday, Farage said he had “followed the rules” because the gifts were received before he entered Parliament following the July 2024 general election. He also dismissed The Times’ report as a “hit job.”
The newspaper reported that Farage declared only one benefit connected to Cottrell after becoming an MP, listing travel, accommodation, and security worth less than £9,300 ($12,400) for attending an event in Belgium. A Reform UK source told the publication that Farage generally stayed at his own home and did not routinely use the rented property.
The Sunday Times also highlighted Cottrell’s legal history in the United States. In 2016, he was arrested on 21 charges linked to a money laundering scheme before pleading guilty to a single wire fraud charge under a plea agreement. He later served eight months in prison.
Crypto links face renewed scrutiny
The latest allegations come as Farage is already under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over separate questions surrounding financial support from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who owns a stake in stablecoin issuer Tether.
Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg was asked to investigate whether Farage breached lobbying rules after meeting Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey to discuss cryptocurrency policy.
Labour MP Phil Brickell alleged that Farage publicly opposed plans for a UK central bank digital currency and later claimed he had persuaded the Bank of England to soften its position on stablecoins. The Bank said the meeting formed part of its routine engagement with political figures and acknowledged that Bailey and Farage disagreed on the digital pound.
Greenberg is also conducting a separate inquiry into whether Farage should have declared a £5 million ($6.7 million) personal payment from Harborne before becoming an MP. Farage has maintained that the money was an unconditional personal gift received before he entered Parliament and therefore did not fall under parliamentary disclosure rules.
As previously reported by crypto.news, a £1.4 million property purchase by Farage has also been linked to the Harborne payment, which has prompted additional calls from political opponents for a parliamentary review. Reform UK has denied any wrongdoing and said the payment complied with legal advice.
Farage has remained one of the UK’s most outspoken supporters of digital assets despite the growing scrutiny. Reform UK has proposed making the country a global cryptocurrency hub, backed lower taxes on crypto gains, supported a strategic Bitcoin reserve, and became the first UK political party to accept donations in Bitcoin.
