Tether shareholder and billionaire tycoon Christopher Harborne gave Nigel Farage £5 million ($6.7 million) shortly earlier than the Reform UK chief backtracked on claims he wasn’t planning to face within the UK’s 2024 common election.
Farage declared in Might 2024 that he wouldn’t be operating to turn out to be an MP. Nevertheless, by July of that very same 12 months, he introduced that he’d be standing within the constituency of Clacton.
The Guardian revealed that in some unspecified time in the future earlier than his seemingly spur of the second election bid, Farage acquired the multi-million-dollar present from Harborne.
The present was saved underneath wraps and never publicly disclosed — which it didn’t legally must be, because it was technically given earlier than Farage introduced his bid for Parliament.
Farage pre-emptively attacked The Guardian’s report by way of an article in The Telegraph that was printed hours earlier than, titled “Farage: My home was firebombed.”
On this piece, Farage claims that Harborne gave him the cash “so that I would be safe and secure for the rest of my life.”
He notes that Harborne, “is an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety,” and bemoaned the shortage of safety funding from the federal government.
Farage additionally revealed that he was a sufferer of an arson assault on his residence final 12 months.
“I would rather not be discussing any of this,” he instructed The Telegraph, however I’m having to as a result of somebody has acquired maintain of fabric about my non-public funds, which is outrageous, and which I imagine was illegally obtained.”
Reform UK pushed piece again so Farage might spin
When The Guardian approached Farage and Harborne, neither would reply with a remark. As a substitute, Reform UK attorneys requested for The Guardian’s piece to be pushed again a couple of days.
The Guardian agreed and gave a deadline for immediately. The Telegraph printed its Farage interview earlier than this deadline.
Harborne is a rich crypto tycoon who additionally has investments in aviation and defence companies, and has donated over £22 million ($29 million) to Reform UK over the previous seven years. He additionally has important holdings in Ethereum and Tether.
The Guardian has questioned Farage’s love for crypto, and whether or not it corresponds with Harborne’s donations to the UK’s Conservative and Brexit events in 2019.
In a single occasion in 2025, Farage promoted Tether on a UK speak present one month after Harborne donated £9 million to Reform UK.
