Nigel Farage is facing increasing demands to provide evidence for his assertion that a state-sponsored Russian hack led to the disclosure of a £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Reform UK claimed over the weekend that analysis of Farage's phone by 'counter-espionage experts' suggested his devices were compromised by 'hostile actors, almost certainly linked to Moscow'.
Farage told the Mail on Sunday that the alleged Russian activity was 'deeply concerning' and highlighted the 'threat they pose to British security'. The claims followed scrutiny of the £5m gift, which Farage had not publicly declared despite parliamentary transparency rules requiring MPs to register gifts and donations above a certain threshold.
A spokesperson for the Guardian described Farage's claim as 'an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs', adding that it was 'absurd' to suggest the newspaper learned of the gift from a Russian hack. Labour and the Conservatives have called on Farage to hand any evidence to Britain's security services.
It is understood the National Cyber Security Centre is not aware of any report from Farage related to the alleged hack. Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative MP and party chair, said: 'If he has genuine evidence that Russia attempted to hack him, he should immediately hand it to the relevant authorities.' A Labour spokesperson echoed the call for transparency.
The £5m was given to Farage before he announced his candidacy in the June 2024 general election. Initially Farage claimed the money was for security purposes, but later told the Sun it was 'a reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years'. Harborne said the gift was to support Farage's security 'for the rest of his life'.
