Farage reported to parliament’s standards watchdog over undeclared £5m donation, as Tories say ‘this stinks’
The Conservatives have announced that they are referring Nigel Farage to the parliamentary commissioner over the Guardian’s report saying he was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing that he would be a candidate at the 2024 election.
Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory chair, said:
double quotation markAs a new member of parliament, Farage was obliged to report to the House of Commons all political donations and political gifts he had received during the previous 12 months.
The Conservatives are today referring Nigel Farage to the parliamentary standards commissioner.
This £5m from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne raises serious questions. What is Nigel Farage hiding? And why does Reform think the rules don’t apply to them? This stinks and Reform should come clean now.
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Gordon Brown calls for inquiry into Andrew’s trade envoy spending, saying ex-prince wanted fleet of planes for royals
Gordon Brown has revealed that, when he was chancellor, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor tried to persuade him to get the government to fund a fleet of aircaft for sole use by the royal family.
The former prime minister disclosed the request, which he refused, in a long article for the New Statesman in which he also calls for an inquiry into how Mountbatten-Windsor used public funds when he was a trade envoy.
In February Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested following the publication in the US of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein files suggesting that, when Mountbatten-Windsor was trade envoy, he improperly shared government information. He has not been charged, and it is understood that he denies wrongdoing.
Brown has already called for an inquiry into the UK links to Epstein’s sex trafficking operation in an article for the New Statesman published two months ago.
Today he has gone further, saying there is also a need for an inquiry into how Mountbatten-Windsor used public funds while doing the trade job between 2001 and 2011.
In a new article for the New Statesman, Brown says:
double quotation markThe investigation into Andrew should also consider his use of public funds. Police must now interview officials and ask for records from three government departments, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Foreign Office, all involved in managing his trips while serving as UK trade envoy.
While serving as trade envoy, the former prince regularly used RAF flights. We must now question whether public funds were used in pursuit not just of his public duties, but of his alleged private liaisons and even private business arrangements.
Brown says that at one point as PM he asked a business minister to speak to Mountbatten-Windsor about the “unacceptable costs” he was incurring in his envoy role. “I was told that his response was to ask whether the government seriously believed that he should have to travel on commercial flights,” Brown says.
Earlier Brown says Mountbatten-Windsor proposed a different solution to his travel difficulties.
double quotation markWhen I was chancellor, I received a request at Andrew’s instigation for a Royal Fleet, solely available for the use of the royal family, separate from the RAF. Emails in the Epstein files show the then prince claiming credit for having secured the privatisation of helicopters used by the royal family. Now, Andrew wanted the same arrangement for airplanes. The then prince’s proposal was that the government pay for the royal family franchising its own fleet of planes. The costs seemed prohibitive. I turned down his proposal and reported directly to the Queen that the country could not afford such a plan.
Brown says he would like to see the British authorities “re-interview Andrew, not just over possible breaches of the Official Secrets Act, but over his use of public funds”. He also says “a select committee in parliament should examine how public funds were used, and whether a cover-up took place that prevented Andrew from being interviewed by US investigators”.
ShareJohn Swinney, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, launching an election poster today. The SNP claims that some of its policies, its call for the Scottish parliament to get more powers, and independence could all cut prices for people in Scotland. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianShare
Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, has posted these on social media criticising saying Kemi Badenoch was talking “nonsense” at PMQs about employment and welfare. (See 12.04pm.)
double quotation markShe also straight forward lied in claiming the number of unemployed people claiming benefits was up 1.5m – when she knows that number is largely about people transferring from legacy benefits onto UC. I’m sure she’ll be referring herself to the privileges committee any moment now
ShareDavey calls for inquiry into US interference in UK politics
At his press conference, as well as announcing proposed amendments to the representation of the people bill (see 2.05pm and 2.17pm), Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, called for an inquiry into foreign interference in UK politics from the US.
He said:
double quotation markThe threats are there. Hiding in plain sight. And we ignore them at our peril.
Donald Trump – whose National Security Strategy used far right-tropes about “civilizational erasure” and talked about “cultivating resistance” in Europe.
Who tried his hardest to keep Viktor Orbán in power in Hungary – even trying to bribe the Hungarian people with a promise of money from the US.
And how wonderful it was to see the Hungarian people throw that back in Trump’s face.
But it’s clear that Trump and his team want to try the same thing here, with Nigel Farage as their man.
And Farage gave the game away recently didn’t he – calling Trump “the boss at Mar-a-Lago”.
We know who’s pulling his strings.
But it’s more insidious than that too.
With Trump’s state department plotting to funnel money to Reform via so-called thinktanks.
No wonder we see Farage and Reform importing so much of Trump’s destructive and divisive agenda –
From rolling back gun laws to taking free healthcare away.
Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories to get-rich-quick crypto scams.
That is Trump’s America. We can’t let it become Farage’s Britain …
The government commissioned the Rycroft Review but has so far committed to implement just two of the seventeen recommendations. It should act on them all in full, urgently.
To defend our democracy from Putin, Iran – all those who want to destroy it.
But sadly, we must also guard against the new threat from Trump and Maga.
The government should also set up a dedicated inquiry into foreign interference from the United States. So we can stop it.
Ed Davey at his press conference. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAShareUK expels Russian diplomat and summons ambassador in tit-for-tat move
The UK is expelling a Russian diplomat and summoning ambassador Andrey Kelin in a tit-for-tat move following similar action by Moscow last month, the Press Assocation reports. PA says:
double quotation markThe Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was taking “reciprocal action” for Russia’s “unjustified” decision in March to remove a British diplomat from the country.
A government spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn Russia’s unjustified decision last month to expel another British diplomat and the malicious public smear campaign that followed. This behaviour is wholly unacceptable, and we will not tolerate harassment or intimidation of our diplomatic staff.
“We have therefore summoned the Russian ambassador to announce we are taking reciprocal action, revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat.
“Russia’s repeated unprovoked and unjustified actions are designed to disrupt our diplomatic work and form part of a wider campaign of aggressive behaviour towards the UK.
“Any further action by Russia will be treated as an escalation and met with a firm and proportionate response.”
Q: What do you say to critics who say you spend too much time doing political stunts?
Davey says this is about focusing attention on policy. He says he will be on a tractor tomorrow. But he will be talking about food prices, which are going to go up because of the Iran war. The government is not doing anything about this, he says.
He says England is the only country in Europe that does not use farm payments to help farmers produce food. He says he raised this at PMQs.
If he gets on a tractor, cameras will turn up, and he will get a chance to talk about policy, he says.
Q: What are your views on a cap on political donations and on state funding for political parties?
Davey says the Lib Dems have always been in favour of a cap on political donations.
During the coalition, the Lib Dems tried to reform party political finance. But they failed because the Tories and Labour were both opposed, he says.
Q: How would you implement your proposed ban on politicians taking money from X?
Davey says this would be for Ofcom to regulate.
Q: Why are Reform UK doing better than the Lib Dems in the polls.
Davey says he likes it when the Lib Dems are fighting Reform UK, because the Lib Dems can beat Reform.
He cites Hull as an area where the Labour vote has collapsed, and he says the council battle there is between his party and Nigel Farage’s.
Q: Do you support Gordon Brown’s call for the police to reinterview Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal?
Davey says he would go furthern that Brown. He says he wants a public inquiry into the British aspects of the Epstein scandal.
Updated at 09.23 EDT
Q: Should you be focusing on gaining votes, not stopping other parties get support?
Davey says the Lib Dems are winning under his leadership. But that does not mean they should not also try to stop foreign interference in elections too.
He says he is not just talking about Trump. He claims to be the only leader talking about social care, and he says the Lib Dems have also presented a costed package on cost of living issues.
Davey is now taking questions.
Q: The state visit is going well. Do you regret opposing it?
Davey says he has always supported the king, and the king has his support.
He pays tribute to the king’s “brilliant diplomacy” and says he has done a “wonderful job”.
But he says he is not sure this will have a lasting impact on how the US treats the UK.
ShareEd Davey accuses Reform UK of operating Maga ‘franchise’, saying democracy under threat from Trump-style politics
Davey turns to the subject of the press conference.
Referring to next week’s election, he says:
double quotation markAs we see British democracy in action, we also need to recognise that our democracy is under more serious threat than at any point in my lifetime.
The threat from powerful men outside our country who are trying to destroy it – Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin.
And the threat from those inside our politics – Nigel Farage, Rupert Lowe, Reform UK – who are aiding and abetting that destruction.
Let me be direct about what is happening.
Nigel Farage and Reform UK are not a British political movement.
They are a franchise. A franchise of Trump’s Maga politics.
Copying their tactics. Collaborating with their people. Taking Musk’s money. And carrying water for the Kremlin.
This is not the type of politics we want in our country. These are not the values we want in our communities. And these are not the people we want running our councils.
Trying to turn our great country into an outpost of Trump’s Maga empire. What a bleak vision that is for our United Kingdom.
Updated at 10.09 EDT
Ed Davey is speaking at his press conference now.
He starts by saying that the scenes were are seeing Golders Green are “horrific” and that his heart goes out to the Jewish community.
Taz Ali is covering the reaction to the antisemitic attack in a separate live blog.
ShareLib Dems push for ban on MPs taking money from X, citing Maga threat
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, is about to hold a press conference. As Peter Walker reports, he will be pushing for a ban on MPs accepting payments from X as part of a proposed wider crackdown on what Davey will call a “serious threat” to UK democracy from Donald Trump’s US and other countries.
ShareIPPR thinktank says £5m Farage gift highlights urgent need for cap on individual political donations
The IPPR, the left-leaning thinktank, says the Nigel Farage £5m donation revelation highlights the need for a cap on the value of individual political donations. It has been calling for a cap for a while, but Harry Quilter-Pinner, the IPPR’s executive director, said this story made the issue all the more pressing. In a statement he said:
double quotation markIt’s becoming harder to ignore the growing weight that extremely wealthy donors appear to carry in British politics, not just in scale, but in proximity to key political decisions.
Reports that Christopher Harborne provided Nigel Farage with £5m shortly before his change of stance on standing as an MP will inevitably prompt questions about influence, perception, and the standards we expect in public life.
Seven-figure sums entering politics were once exceptional, now they are commonplace. The government must act urgently, capping individual donations at £100,000, to protect the sanctity of our politics.
SharePMQs – snap verdict
That was scrappy, crude, score-draw sort of PMQs, influenced in part by the fact that the most important set of elections ahead of the next general election are taking place a week tomorrow. When Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch next face each, the political backdrop will be quite a different. Another reason why today’s proceedings will be quickly forgotten.
Badenoch chose to open with questions about welfare. We will be hearing a lot more about welfare policy during the next session of parliament and that won’t be easy for Labour. But in part there’s a silver lining; Badenoch and Nigel Farage (see 11.36am) are increasingly taking about this because, with legal migration falling steeply and small boat crossing numbers down significantly too, the issue that worked best for the rightwingers is losing its potency. (Migration Watch UK used to feature a tracker showing how small boat numbers were rising month by month very prominently on their website; they are still publishing the data, but now the figures are heading down, you will have to look a bit harder to find them.) On welfare, Badenoch was grotesquely simplifying the argument, but Starmer did not have an effective counterattack, and she was easily ahead at this point in the exchanges.
But the Tories are more interested in gunning for Rachel Reeves, the chancellor. Badenoch asked Starmer to sack Reeves and, when he ignored the question, she claimed his answer was significant. Today the Telegraph has splashed on a story speculating about a reshuffle after the May elections, and Sky’s Beth Rigby has a report saying there is a live debate in Starmer’s office about whether or not to go ahead with one. After PMQs the Tories released a comment from a spokesman saying: “Everyone can see that Rachel Reeves is about to become the next person Starmer throws under a bus.” That is not impossible. But there was nothing in what Starmer said to Badenoch that amounts to evidence for this (it was not surprising he ignored her question), and it is a stretch for the Tories to count his response on this as a win.
Starmer was empty-handed on welfare but in his exchanges with Badenoch, and across PMQs more generally, he spoke repeatedly, and with pride, about the legislation passed this session. The government has had its failures, but it has had legislative successes too and he made that case reasonably well. He was withering about Badenoch’s own record as a leader but he seemed to be more genuinely outraged when responding to Ed Davey, and ridiculing his decision to join the Tory privileges committee “stunt”. Davey is normally quite effective at PMQs, but today he was left deflated.
Updated at 09.38 EDT
Labour claims Farage’s undeclared £5m donation broke parliamentary rules
The Labour party is also accusing Nigel Farage of breaking the rules on declaring political donations. (See 12.45pm.) In a statement, Anna Turley, the Labour chair, said:
double quotation markNigel Farage appears to have broken the rules again by failing to declare this cash from his billionaire backer.
Reform have repeatedly tried to dodge scrutiny over their deputy leader Richard Tice’s tax scandal. It’s simply not good enough for Reform to gloss over these egregious acts and further erode public trust in politics.
It’s just the latest alarming example of Farage and his MPs believing there is one rule for them and another for everyone else.
ShareFarage reported to parliament’s standards watchdog over undeclared £5m donation, as Tories say ‘this stinks’
The Conservatives have announced that they are referring Nigel Farage to the parliamentary commissioner over the Guardian’s report saying he was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing that he would be a candidate at the 2024 election.
Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory chair, said:
double quotation markAs a new member of parliament, Farage was obliged to report to the House of Commons all political donations and political gifts he had received during the previous 12 months.
The Conservatives are today referring Nigel Farage to the parliamentary standards commissioner.
This £5m from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne raises serious questions. What is Nigel Farage hiding? And why does Reform think the rules don’t apply to them? This stinks and Reform should come clean now.
PMQs is over, but Catherine West (Lab) uses a point of order to say MPs will be concerned about the report of two Jewish men being stabbed in north London.
Starmer says he was told about this before PMQs. It is “deeply concerning”, he says. There is a police investigation, and the government will support it. He says the government is determined to stop attacks like this. There have been far too many of them recently, he says.
Updated at 07.50 EDT