UK Defence Secretary John Healey has called on Nigel Farage to provide full transparency regarding a £5 million gift from billionaire businessman Christopher Harborne, specifically questioning whether any portion of the sum could be tied to Russia-connected profits or potential benefits from the war in Iran.
Healey's Letter to Farage
In a letter addressed to the Reform UK leader, Healey pressed Farage to confirm that none of the £5 million was derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies. He also demanded assurances that AML Global, the aviation fuel company owned by Harborne, has fully complied with all sanctions on Russian energy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The letter, obtained by the Guardian, further asked Farage to address whether he was aware that AML Global could benefit from rising aviation fuel prices amid the Iran conflict, which he initially supported. Healey wrote: "The public is entitled to ask whether your financial interests were impacting on your political positioning and your initial support for throwing the UK armed forces headlong into a war in the Middle East without a plan."
Background on the Gift
The Guardian revealed last month that Farage received £5 million from Harborne shortly before the 2024 general election. Farage did not disclose the donation at the time, arguing it was an unconditional gift received before he announced his candidacy for parliament, thus not requiring declaration. However, after a Conservative complaint, the parliamentary standards watchdog is investigating whether he should have declared it.
Healey also questioned Farage's past comments on Russia, noting that Farage had suggested NATO "provoked" the invasion of Ukraine by expanding eastwards. He stated that this "places Reform UK under a Russian cloud that only transparency can lift."
AML Global's Response
A spokesperson for AML Global stated: "The company is committed to operating in full compliance with US, UK, EU and UN sanctions programmes and with any additional restrictions required by our business and banking partners. We screen all new counter-parties against a database of sanctions and re-screen existing ones regularly."
Healey concluded his letter by saying: "I'm not asking you to return the money. I'm asking you to open the books. If the answers are as clean as you would no doubt claim, that transparency will cost you nothing. If they are not, the public has every right to know."
