IN 2017 Nigel Farage said he was 'skint' and that 'there's no money in politics'. He happened at a time to be living in a £4m townhouse in Chelsea and earning £90,000 as a Member of the European Parliament. Nevertheless, this was poverty for poor Nigel.

In 2019, Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency billionaire based in Thailand, donated £12m to Farage's Brexit party.

Between 2025 and March 2026 Harborne donated a further £12m to the renamed Reform UK party. But the most interesting donation was not to the Reform party, it was the £5m in early 2024 directly to Nigel Farage.

This was the donation Farage failed to declare despite the requirement for MPs to declare anything in the year prior to them becoming an MP that 'might reasonably be thought to influence their actions'.

He also failed to declare other benefits supplied by another crypto entrepreneur George Cottrell. Cottrell served time in prison in America in 2016 for criminal activities involving money laundering.

Of course, Farage has said that the money and gifts were given to him without any obligation to return the favour, and were all of a 'personal' nature.

Strange then that Farage subsequently lobbied the Chair of the Bank of England not to go ahead with a proposal which would have financially harmed those involved in crypto currencies.

What we do know for sure is that even poor Nigel couldn't now say he is 'skint' and that he has undoubtedly found the quickest way to make 'money in politics'.

Mike Baldwin

Thorverton