Farage's security paid by Reform UK despite claim a £5m gift would cover it

Nigel Farage's personal security has been paid for out of Reform UK's central funds despite his claim that these expenses would be covered by an undisclosed gift of £5m from a billionaire donor, sources have said.

The Reform leader has had the central party pay for a team and two cars ever since a reduction in the security provided by the taxpayer after a review in 2025. The costs have amounted to more than £150,000 in the past year, sources said.

The disclosure raises fresh questions about Farage's explanation of the £5m he was given by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. After the gift was revealed, Harborne said it was intended to support Nigel's security not just now but for the rest of his life. Farage initially said the money was given to him so that he would be safe and secure for the rest of his life.

Farage suggested that the Home Office did not offer him any security support. In fact, though it was reduced in scale, he was offered a bodyguard, a driver and a car — similar to the provision made for Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the official opposition. Farage refused this, and since then his security has been paid for from central party funds.

The arrangement has caused consternation for some within the party. One Reform source said it is completely at odds with the narrative he has tried to sell the public. A spokesperson for Reform UK said that, as standard practice, the party does not comment on security matters. The party refused to answer questions about whether Farage had spent any of the £5m on security costs to date.

Bridget Phillipson, the Labour party chair, said Farage's excuses over his secret £5m gift have fallen apart and that he cannot be trusted. A Conservative party spokesperson said the public are entitled to a straight answer and that Farage should come clean about where the £5m has gone and what it was really for.

The party is understood to make a distinction between security required as a result of its leader's political activities, which it pays for, and his potential longer-term personal security needs, which the gift was intended to provide for. Costs charged to Reform have included security changes to Farage's properties, including ones used by his family members, according to sources, and the security team funded by Reform has also been used by Farage for personal activities.

Harborne gave Farage £5m shortly before he stood as an MP in the 2024 general election. On becoming an MP, Farage was offered and accepted taxpayer-funded security, which he used until the autumn of 2025. The timeline for the gift is disputed: lawyers for Harborne have said the gift was made on 5 April 2024, while financial industry sources say some of the £5m was not received until the end of May, just before Farage announced on 3 June that he would stand as an MP.