Farage admits he discussed returning as Reform leader months earlier than previously stated

Admission may undermine Farage’s account of circumstances surrounding £5m gift from crypto billionaire Nigel Farage has admitted he held talks about the possibility of returning as Reform UK’s leader months before the 2024 general election, potentially undermining his own account of the circumstances in which he received a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire. It was reported at the weekend that Farage had struck a deal with the party’s then leader, Richard Tice, and the convicted fraudster George Cottrell to return to frontline politics. Farage has previously said he did not need to declare the £5m from Christopher Harborne or benefits in kind from Cottrell because he was not in politics at the time they were received. He has said he had no intention of returning to politics until June 2024, just before the election. The House of Commons code of conduct states that new MPs must register all “registrable benefits” received in the 12 months before their election.

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