Nigel Farage's Aide Suggests 'Reward for Brexit' Claim Was Misstep
A senior aide to Nigel Farage, Nigel Jukes, has indicated that Farage's public statement characterizing a £5 million donation as a 'reward for Brexit' was not the approved narrative.
Dan Jukes, a long-time associate of Nigel Farage, has stated that the former UKIP leader's claim that a £5 million gift from a Reform donor was a 'reward for Brexit' was an misstatement, according to undercover footage.
In a media interview in May, Farage told The Sun newspaper, "Frankly, it was given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years." He has defended the substantial sum, received from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the 2024 general election, stating it was not linked to his political activities and was intended to cover private security costs.
Jukes, filmed by the undercover group Verbatim and with footage shared with The Guardian, suggested that this statement was "not the line to take from the press office." He elaborated, "So I think now the line is it was a thank you for Brexit to pay for security so he is safe for the rest of his life."
Lawyers for Jukes have contested the Verbatim footage, accusing the group of "entrapment over a prolonged period of time by individuals, using selective editing, who had their own agenda to discredit Reform UK." A Reform UK spokesperson added that Jukes "accurately describes that the gift was for [Mr Farage's] security for the rest of his life."
Jukes and James Orr, the party's head of policy, were previously suspended following separate Verbatim filming concerning foreign donations. Both were later cleared by an internal party investigation.
The undeclared donation is currently under review by Parliament's standards watchdog, which is expected to rule imminently on whether it constitutes a political donation that should have been registered. Farage was recently interviewed by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg.
Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare gifts valued over £300 within the preceding 12 months, unless the gift could not reasonably be considered related to their political activities. Farage has maintained that the gift was not political and that he has committed no wrongdoing.
Christopher Harborne is one of two crypto-billionaires who collectively donated £72 million to Reform UK. The twin £36 million gifts from Ben Delo and Harborne have revived calls for a broader cap on donations.
Harborne, previously based in Thailand, was reported in June to have registered to vote in Hampshire.