Nigel Farage is facing questions about why he did not declare his use of a donor's helicopter to travel around Britain for rallies. The helicopter, used by Farage as recently as Friday after local elections across Britain, belongs to a company owned by Lorenzo Zaccheo, a businessman who gave Reform £25,000 last year.
Farage was pictured in May last year getting off the helicopter in Kent after his party won the county council elections there. Data shows the helicopter has traveled to and from locations on dates when Reform rallies were held. When questioned, Reform UK said the flights were paid for "at commercial rates" and there was "no undeclared registrable interest." However, the party did not respond to follow-up questions about who paid for the flights and whether they were paid by Farage himself.
This comes after Farage faced scrutiny over an undisclosed £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, which Farage said was for personal security. The helicopter's movements in 2025 were recorded in publicly available data analyzed by Democracy for Sale.
Anna Turley, Labour Party chair, said: "Nigel Farage has form on being less than transparent about the cost of flights. He massively underdeclared the commercial cost of private jet trips to the Maldives donated by his billionaire backer. Now he expects us to take at face value that Reform paid full commercial rates for helicopter flights from another wealthy donor. If Farage wants public confidence, Reform need to show receipts."
Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper added: "Between these flights and the £5m gift, Farage's finances appear shrouded in secrecy. The British people have a right to know who is paying for his high-flying lifestyle."
The twin-engined 2009 Eurocopter was used to travel to Birmingham on 28 March last year, the day Reform UK held a major campaign launch rally. The next day it traveled to Kent, where Zaccheo's company Alcaline Aviation is based. On 2 May, Farage was photographed exiting the helicopter at an election party in Maidstone after Reform swept the county council elections.
MPs have 28 days to register flights costing over £300 not paid personally or by public funds. A Reform UK spokesperson said the question "proceed[s] from an incorrect premise," adding that flights were paid at commercial rates and there was no gift or benefit. Zaccheo confirmed Reform's statement, saying payment is received before any flight.
