Nigel Farage takes undisclosed £5m gift from crypto billionaire

Nigel Farage received a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024 shortly before reversing his decision not to stand in the UK general election, according to The Guardian. The money was not publicly disclosed at the time and did not need to be declared to parliamentary authorities because Farage was not yet an MP. Farage later told the Daily Telegraph the funds were used to pay for his personal security.

The timing matters because Farage’s public position changed within weeks. On 23 May 2024 he said he would not be a prospective MP, arguing it was “not the right time” and saying he wanted to be free to campaign in the US presidential election later that year. Less than two weeks later, on 3 June, he announced he would run in Clacton, Essex, and he went on to enter parliament in July 2024.

The Guardian frames Harborne as a pivotal backer who has financed Farage personally and the parties around him for years, turning what looks like a single donation into a longer-running relationship. Harborne, who is based in Thailand and also uses the Thai name Chakrit Sakunkri, donated £9 million to Reform UK in 2023—reported as the largest single donation by a living person to a British political party—and later gave a total of £12 million in 2025. Farage has said he spoke to Harborne roughly monthly or every six weeks after the party donation, and that he promised nothing in return.

The practical effect of the rules is that a large sum can be routed to a political figure at the most decision-sensitive moment—before candidacy, before formal campaign reporting, and before parliamentary registration—while still being lawful. That leaves voters to reconstruct influence after the fact, from press reporting and partial disclosures, rather than from a live record that would allow scrutiny while choices are being made. It also creates a clear distinction between donating to a party, which is heavily watched, and funding a person’s “security” or political viability before they are formally inside the system.

When the Guardian approached Farage and Harborne for comment, neither initially responded; lawyers for Reform UK and Harborne asked for more time. The Telegraph interview confirming the gift appeared before that extended deadline.

A £5 million payment that did not require declaration helped finance the final weeks of a decision that ended with Farage entering parliament for the first time.