Nigel Farage has admitted he held discussions about returning as leader of Reform UK months before the 2024 general election, a disclosure that could complicate the account he has given of receiving a £5m gift from a cryptocurrency billionaire.
The admission comes after a weekend report that Mr Farage agreed a deal with Richard Tice, who was then Reform UK’s leader, and George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, to return to frontline politics. Mr Farage has now confirmed that he spoke to Mr Tice about the possibility of taking back the leadership, acknowledging that those conversations happened earlier than he had previously stated.
According to reports, the two men discussed what would happen if Mr Farage returned to lead the party, including the potential «liabilities» of such a move. The talks are said to have taken place in the spring of 2024, several months before the general election. The timing matters because it suggests Mr Farage’s decision to resume control of Reform UK was being planned well before the announcement.
The Reform UK leader is expected to face questions about the sequence of events at a press conference in London at 11am, his first such event in the capital for months. The appearance comes amid continuing scrutiny of his finances and follows reports about the £5m gift. The donation, made by a cryptocurrency billionaire, has become the subject of intense political attention because of its size and the circumstances in which it was received.
The weekend report claimed that the arrangement to bring Mr Farage back was struck with Mr Tice and Mr Cottrell before he returned to the leadership. Mr Cottrell’s involvement has added to the sensitivity of the matter, given his criminal conviction for fraud. Mr Farage has confirmed the leadership discussions but has not addressed all elements of the report. His latest admission is significant because it revises the chronology he had previously set out.
In his comments, Mr Farage said he had spoken to Mr Tice about what would happen if he were to lead the party again. He did not dispute that the discussions took place in the spring of 2024, months earlier than had previously been acknowledged. The admission raises fresh questions about the link between his return to the leadership and the gift that has since dominated scrutiny of Reform UK’s funding.
The press conference is expected to give Mr Farage an opportunity to respond to the latest reports and to the wider questions about his finances. It remains unclear whether he will provide further details about the timing of the discussions or the origins of the £5m donation.
