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Nigel Farage is under scrutiny regarding the claim by Reform UK that he purchased a £1.4 million house using a fee earned from his appearance on a television show. The party stated last week that Farage bought the Surrey property in 2024 without a mortgage, funding it through the money he received from participating in the reality TV series *I’m A Celebrity*. Farage himself revealed in a 2025 interview that this fee was paid to his company, Thorn In The Side Limited.
However, financial records for the company suggest that the income remained in the company’s account even after the property was acquired. Despite this, the party denies Farage utilized any portion of a £5 million gift he received in April 2024 from Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency billionaire, to make the house purchase 36 days later. Documents from the land registry reviewed by the BBC indicate that the house was paid for in cash on 10 May 2024, and no mortgage was involved. A spokesperson for Farage pointed out that anti-money laundering checks for the property took place in March 2024, prior to the receipt of the gift, and emphasized that Farage has multiple income sources as reflected in his parliamentary register.
Farage had appeared on ITV’s reality show in late 2023, finishing in third place and reportedly receiving a seven-figure payment for his participation. Labour chair Anna Turley criticized Farage, stating, “Nigel Farage needs to stop dodging scrutiny over his undeclared £5m ‘gift’ and put the evidence on the table to prove what he’s saying is true.” She added, “It’s clear he’s taking the public for fools and thinks he can just brush this scandal under the carpet. He can’t.” Meanwhile, Thorn In The Side Limited’s company accounts show a cash increase of roughly £1.4 million in the year ending May 2024, and by May 2025, the cash balance on the accounts had risen further without any recorded dividend payouts.
The £5 million gift from Harborne, a British businessman based in Thailand, was made on 5 April 2024, shortly before Farage announced his candidacy for that year’s general election. Harborne explained in April that he did not expect any return for the money aside from assurances for his personal safety and also expressed his admiration for Farage’s work on Brexit. Parliamentary rules require new MPs to declare donations received in the 12 months before election, but this particular payment was not listed on Farage’s declaration of interests and only came to light following reporting by the Guardian. Reform UK maintains that the donation was a “personal, unconditional gift” and did not require declaration. Harborne has since become Reform UK’s biggest donor, contributing £12 million in 2025. Farage has stated that the funds were intended to cover his lifetime security needs.
An investigation has been launched by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to examine whether Farage violated Commons rules by failing to disclose the £5 million payment from Harborne. Speaking to *The Sun* newspaper, Farage described the amount as “given as a reward for campaigning for Brexit” and expressed that he was “not in the least bit worried” about the ongoing inquiry
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