Nigel Farage has claimed people were “quite impressed” by his party securing a record-breaking £72 million from two cryptocurrency magnates, as he brushed off mounting scrutiny over Reform UK’s financial backing.
Speaking during a campaign visit to Doncaster, the Reform leader acknowledged that while he had initially feared public backlash over the funding would force him "into hiding," the historic sum has instead generated "grudging respect."
The donations – split equally between businessmen Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo – represent the largest single political donation in British history, shattering the previous record of £10m left to the Conservatives in 2022.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Farage said: “The fact that I managed to pull off a coup of that magnitude, I think people were quite impressed”, arguing the funds served as a vital equaliser to compete against established political parties.
The intervention comes as Mr Farage said he was recently interviewed in the Palace of Westminster by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg.
The 30-minute inquiry centred on whether Mr Farage breached parliamentary rules by failing to formally register a separate £5 million gift received from Mr Harborne in 2024.
Mr Farage strongly denies any wrongdoing, maintaining the funds were allocated exclusively to cover his personal security expenses. But should the commissioner rule against him, Mr Farage could face a suspension from the House of Commons, potentially triggering a by-election in his Clacton constituency.
Security concerns surrounding the Reform leader have intensified this week following confirmation that a 28-year-old suspect charged with the murder of former party figure Ann Widdecombe was also allegedly involved in a terror plot targeting Mr Farage.
Mr Farage also addressed his party's recent slip in opinion polls, admitting Reform had entered a "trough" after losing its earlier lead over Labour and facing increased pressure from the Conservatives.
"The narrative that Reform has peaked? No, it’s troughed. It’s a very different thing, it’s troughed," Mr Farage said.
He attributed the decline to a drop in his personal visibility on the national campaign trail, months of damaging headlines surrounding internal party finances, and vote-splitting caused by Restore, a far-right political party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.
While conceding that Restore was "starting to hurt [Reform]," Mr Farage dismissed its long-term electoral threat in key working-class constituencies.
Mr Farage declared that Reform’s general election campaign was now underway following a "major summer of reorganisation" at its headquarters.
To spearhead the push, the party is putting its multi-million-pound war chest has been earmarked for professionalising campaign infrastructure, overhauling field operations, and building dedicated production facilities for its online broadcast channel, Reform TV– a move the party insists is vital to competing with more established Westminster blocs.
Mr Farage has previously told the media that the multi-million-pound donations are “100 per cent compliant with the law today” and continues to insist that Reform is entirely confident it will not have to return any of the funds.
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