Reform MP refuses to say whether Farage should produce evidence for Russian hack claim

Reform UK faced pressure to substantiate Nigel Farage’s claim that Russian agents hacked him. Labour and the Conservatives emphasized national security concerns tied to alleged state-sponsored Russian activity. Danny Kruger said he did not know the full details of Farage’s hacking claim and would not comment on whether evidence was reported to authorities. Kruger said the matter was private and that an investigation should occur, but he was unsure how Farage would want it handled. A Reform source claimed Farage privately commissioned counter-espionage experts to analyze his phone and that they concluded it was almost certainly compromised, without providing evidence or naming experts. A spokesperson did not answer questions about reporting to authorities or analysis details, and a Guardian spokesperson criticized the claim as deflecting scrutiny of Farage’s finances.

"Asked if Farage had reported his concerns to the authorities, Kruger told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: I don't know I'm not privy to that conversation and I don't feel I can comment. Asked if Farage should report any evidence he had, Kruger said: I really am not the person to discuss the ins and outs of what's being done in terms of the investigation. He claimed the matter was private, adding: There does need to be some kind of investigation into that. I'm not sure how he would want to do it. The whole point of this is that it's a private matter."

"A Reform source quoted by the Mail on Sunday said Farage had privately commissioned counter-espionage experts to analyse his phone and that they had concluded it had almost certainly been compromised by Russian agents. No evidence was provided, and the experts were not named. Farage speaking to reporters in Chelmsford after the May election results. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA"

"Farage has come under mounting pressure to substantiate the claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure published by the Guardian last month of a 5m gift he had received from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives have both stressed the threat to national security posed by the Russian state."

"Farage's spokesperson has not responded to questions from the Guardian on whom he reported the alleged hack to and whether evidence was handed over, or to requests for details of the analysis of his phone. A Guardian spokesperson described Farage's claim as an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs. They added: Nigel Farage is once again hiding behind"

Read at www.theguardian.com