Nigel Farage is being investigated for an undeclared donation. A billionaire based in Thailand is Reform UK's main funder

The British anti-immigration party Reform UK said on Wednesday that it is in discussions with the parliamentary watchdog, following a report according to which its leader, Nigel Farage, is being investigated for a donation of 5 million pounds ($6.75 million) that he did not declare, informs Reuters, taken by News.ro.

After the BBC reported that Reform UK was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over the donation, the party, the biggest winner in last week's local elections, confirmed it was in discussions on the issue but insisted it had not broken any rules.

Farage: “It was a personal, unconditional donation”

“He (Farage) has always been clear that this was a personal, unconditional donation and that no rules were broken,” a party spokesman said. “We look forward to this matter being cleared up once and for all,” he added.

Farage said he accepted the donation from billionaire and cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, who is based in Thailand, to pay for his personal security before announcing his candidacy in the 2024 national election that brought him into parliament.

He said it was not a political donation, but rival political parties accused him in April of breaking the rules, which require members of parliament to declare donations received in the year before an election within a month of taking office.

Opponents say the funding from a foreign billionaire demonstrates a disconnect between Farage's image as a man of the people willing to stand up to the establishment and his reliance on wealthy donors.

The Office of the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

If the investigation finds that Farage committed a serious breach of the rules on parliamentary statements, he could be suspended from the House of Commons for a period of time. A suspension of 10 days or more could trigger a recall petition, potentially forcing him to run in a special election for his term.

“One rule for them, another for others”

The UK Reform Party has topped all national opinion polls since the start of last year, prompting closer scrutiny of the party's funding sources.

About two-thirds of the party's funding last year came from Harborne, according to Electoral Commission data.

Anna Turley, chairwoman of the ruling Labor Party, pointed out that Farage had refused to answer legitimate questions. “There's one rule for them and one for everyone else,” she said.

Reform party deputy leader Richard Tice said at the weekend that voters already knew about the donation and still chose to vote in large numbers for the party, which has made significant gains in local government elections in England and regional parliaments in Scotland and Wales.

Before the 2024 election, Farage had declared that he did not intend to run. He changed his mind about a month before the election.

Earlier this year, Farage apologized after parliamentary authorities found he had inadvertently breached rules on declaring financial interests 17 times, including payments from Google and Elon Musk's X Corp.

Parliament's Commissioner for Standards concluded that these irregularities were unintentional and caused by personnel and administrative issues.