Nigel Farage has been warned that his characterization of an investigation into undeclared gifts as an 'establishment hit job' could lead to harsher punishment if he is found to have broken Commons rules. The warning came from Harriet Harman, a Labour peer and former chair of the Commons standards committee, speaking on the Today programme.
Background of the Allegations
Farage is already under investigation by Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary standards commissioner, for failing to declare a £5 million donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Now, the Sunday Times has published additional allegations that Farage did not declare gifts from a crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud. Greenberg is being urged to investigate these new claims as well.
In a statement to the Daily Express, Farage denied any wrongdoing and said he was considering legal action against the Sunday Times. He claimed the allegations were part of an 'establishment hit job' to hurt Reform UK, adding, 'I have done no wrongdoing, followed the rules and I am now considering legal action against The Sunday Times. It’s now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform – we want to smash their cosy consensus.' However, such threats have previously proven empty.
Harman's Warning
Harman said that attacking the system could be seen as an aggravating factor, leading to a higher punishment. 'By Nigel Farage saying this is an establishment hit job – what he should be saying is ‘These rules are important, they keep our parliament clean, I’m going to at all times comply with them, I have complied with them. I’ll cooperate with the investigation, and I’m confident I’ll be found not to have broken the rules.’ But he’s not doing that. He’s attacking and trying to delegitimise the system. And if it comes to a finding by the commissioner that he has been in breach of the rules, the way he’s conducted himself whilst he’s been under investigation will be taken as an aggravating fact when it comes to the penalty,' she stated.
Potential Consequences
There is no precedent for an MP wrongly failing to declare a donation worth as much as £5 million. If the commissioner finds against Farage, the standards committee could decide to suspend him from parliament for more than 10 days. This would allow voters in his Clacton constituency to trigger a recall byelection.
The developments come as Keir Starmer is set to resign as Prime Minister in two weeks, with Andy Burnham expected to replace him. Starmer's departure has been partly attributed to the rise of Farage and Reform UK, though the party's momentum appears to be waning amid internal doubts about Farage's leadership.
