Farage claim he bought 1.4m house with I'm a Celebrity fee under scrutiny

"Accounts for the Reform leader's personal media company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, suggest that money was not withdrawn from the firm at the time of the house purchase. The apparent discrepancy raises fresh questions about Farage's transparency with regard to his finances. He is currently being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over his failure to declare a 5m gift from Christopher Harborne, as revealed by the Guardian."

"Farage bought his house in Surrey on 10 May 2024, only weeks after receiving the money from Harborne, a billionaire who has lived in Thailand for two decades. Farage's spokesperson had told the BBC last week that he paid for the Surrey property purchase with his 1.5m fee for participating in I'm a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here! in late 2023. An analysis by the Financial Times raises questions about that claim."

"The accounts show its cash position increased from 300,000 on 31 May 2023 to 1.7m on 31 May 2024. The accounts suggest that no dividend was paid out in the period and its cash position increased from 1.7m to 2m between May 2024 and May 2025. Farage, rather than Thorn in the Side, bought the Surrey home and there is no mortgage on the property."

"A Reform spokesperson said the house was not bought with Harborne's gift. The spokesperson suggested that this was proved by the fact that anti-money laundering checks relating to the purchase were carried out before the gift was made. The spokesperson said: Nigel has multiple sources of income, as you can see from his parliamentary register."

Nigel Farage faces scrutiny over claims about how he paid for a 1.4m Surrey house. Company accounts for Thorn in the Side Ltd indicate money was not withdrawn from the firm at the time of the purchase. Farage previously said the property was paid using a 1.5m fee from I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in late 2023, but financial analysis raises doubts. Farage is also under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner for failing to declare a 5m gift from Christopher Harborne, which Farage says was for security. The house was bought weeks after the gift was received, and there is no mortgage on the property. A spokesperson denies the gift funded the purchase and cites anti-money laundering checks completed before the gift.

Read at www.theguardian.com