Reform UK denies Nigel Farage broke rules over undeclared support from ally

Reform UK has strongly denied that Nigel Farage breached parliamentary rules after reports claimed he failed to declare benefits provided by long-time ally George Cottrell before becoming an MP.

The allegations, first reported by The Sunday Times, claim Cottrell provided security staff, social media support and access to accommodation in the year leading up to Farage's election as MP for Clacton. The newspaper alleged that some of these benefits should have been declared under parliamentary rules.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reform UK's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick insisted that "no rules have been broken whatsoever". He argued that any support received from Cottrell was given in a personal capacity before Farage returned to frontline politics and before he entered Parliament.

Jenrick said Farage was entitled to receive help from friends while he was not serving as an MP, adding that parliamentary rules only require certain benefits connected to a member's public role to be declared. He also defended Farage's friendship with Cottrell, saying politicians are "allowed to have friends" and that there was "nothing to see" in the claims.

George Cottrell has been a long-time associate of Farage and previously worked with UKIP during the Brexit campaign. In 2017, he served a prison sentence in the United States after pleading guilty to a wire fraud offence linked to an undercover investigation involving money laundering.

The latest allegations come as Farage is already facing a separate investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over a previously disclosed £5 million gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, which Farage has said was intended to fund his personal security rather than political activities.

The Liberal Democrats have now asked the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to examine the latest claims involving Cottrell, while Labour has called for greater transparency over donations and support received by the Reform UK leader.

A spokesperson for Farage dismissed the allegations, describing them as "baseless" and arguing that the events took place during a period when he was neither an active politician nor an elected MP. Reform UK maintains that all relevant parliamentary rules have been followed.

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has not yet confirmed whether the latest allegations will form part of the existing inquiry or be considered separately.