No obligation to declare £5m gift, Farage says

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No obligation to declare £5m gift, Farage says

Published

6 days ago

May 6, 2026

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said there was "no obligation" to declare a £5m gift he received from a billionaire backer before he became an MP.

In a Telegraph interview last week, Farage revealed that in early 2024, Reform UK donor Christopher Harborne had given him the money to pay for his security.

Labour and other rival parties have accused Farage of breaking parliamentary rules by not declaring the £5m gift in the register of interests for MPs – and the Conservatives have referred the Reform UK leader to the parliamentary standards commissioner.

But speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday, Farage said the £5m gift was "purely private" and "wasn't political in any sense at all".

"And believe you me, we've looked at this from every legal angle, there is no obligation to declare something that is an unconditional, non-political, personal gift.

"And it will ensure I can be safe for the rest of my life."

Harborne's £5m gift to Farage, which was investigated by the Guardian newspaper, was given to him in early 2024 ahead of the general election that year, and it does not appear on his register of interests.

Reform UK sources say Farage received the money before he intended to stand for Parliament.

Last week, Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said Farage "appears to have broken the rules again by failing to declare this cash from his billionaire backer".

The House of Commons code of conduct states that new MPs "must register all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election".

The rules say "purely personal gifts or benefits" from family or commercial loans would not normally have to be registered.

The rules also say "both the possible motive of the giver and the use to which the gift is to be put should be considered", adding "if there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered".

The Conservatives have also raised concerns with the Electoral Commission, which said it was considering the information.

Facing his first questions on camera about the money, Farage told broadcasters the £5m gift had been given to him "for one purpose".

"I've been the most attacked, physically, politician of modern times," Farage said.

"And yet despite repeated requests to the Home Office, the police, for protection and help, I've been denied at every twist and turn.

"This money is the only way I can look after myself, and protect myself for the rest of my life."

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Harborne said he was not "expecting anything in return apart from ensuring [Farage's] safety".

The newspaper also reported that a legal document was signed stating that the gift was "unconditional and irrevocable".

The security of MPs is managed by a combination of authorities.

The Parliamentary Security Department (PSD) handles safety on the parliamentary estate, while local police forces are responsible for security in constituencies.

The Home Office may also provide enhanced protection for MPs assessed as facing the highest risk.

Operation Bridger is a national police programme that seeks to enhance the security of MPs.

Reform UK sources say Farage's team notifies local police forces of his movements when he is travelling, in line with Operation Bridger protocols.

Party sources say Farage does not receive protection from the Home Office or police, and travels with his own private security team.

Essex Police, the force in Farage's Clacton constituency, told the BBC it engages with all MPs under Operation Bridger "to ensure they receive the most up-to-date security advice for their homes and their constituency offices".

"We also offer services available under Op Bridger to all MPs, which includes a dedicated adviser, briefings, risk assessments, and information gathering," a spokesperson said.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jv8xl17l8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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The Papers: Original 'Labour leadership rivals circle' and 'Golden boys' on Baftas red carpet

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2026

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Chris Mason: Another crunch moment for Starmer as he pleads with Labour MPs not to topple him

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2026

alaguraj@gmail.com

It feels like the prime minister has to give the speech of his life today.

Those within the Labour Party who want to see him succeed acknowledge that you can't change everything in one speech.

But it is clearly imperative for Sir Keir Starmer to try to calm down a party that is hurting and anxious.

Many Labour MPs have spent the weekend observing the politically scorched earth around them locally – their friends and colleagues in local and devolved government wiped out. There are fraught emotions and there is anger.

And for the last few days now there has been the drip, drip of revolt, with Labour MP after Labour MP coming out publicly to say Starmer has to go.

With every one, a little more of the prime minister's authority drains away.

Incidentally, don't underestimate what a big deal it is for any individual MP to go over the top and say their boss should go – not least because, for now at least, those that have done so are a tiny fraction of the total number of Labour MPs.

And it was his name up in lights as their leader when many of them won their seats for the first time, and often in parts of the country where Labour rarely if ever win. So to say now, out loud, that you think he is a dud is a big deal.

Wherever you look in the Labour Party right now there are knots of anxiety.

Firstly, there is anxiety in Downing Street, of course. They are acutely aware of what is at stake.

Secondly, there is anxiety among the potential challengers, weighing up if, when or whether to go for it. Timing can be everything: get it right, and the premiership can be yours. Get it wrong, and what might be your only chance to be prime minister is gone.

Thirdly, there is anxiety among the many, many Labour MPs keeping their heads down and who really don't want the prime minister to leave right now, nor for there to be a leadership contest.

Then there are those who would like Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to be Labour's next leader and so don't want a contest right now – because he needs time to firstly find and then win a Westminster seat, having been blocked from standing in one just a few months ago.

So what happens after the speech tomorrow? How do Labour MPs react? Does Catherine West, the former minister who has said she is willing to challenge the prime minister to try to force a contest, decide to back down, or press ahead?

Does the prime minister manage to put people off challenging him, at least for now?

Or is there a flood of anguish that leaves his position untenable and tempts one of the challengers to go for it?

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in particular, faces a massive call in the next couple of days. He has said he won't challenge Sir Keir, but is prepared to make his case if it becomes clear the prime minister is a goner.

So does he go for it, or not? Some who would like to see him replace Sir Keir think this might be his very best chance, before Burnham can get back to Westminster.

It is worth emphasising that it is not easy to dislodge a sitting prime minister who doesn't want to budge and, up until now at least, Sir Keir has given every indication he wants to stick around.

But what a moment he confronts and his party confronts.

The Labour Party is in a glum swirl right now, where no one can be certain what will happen next.

Whatever does – or doesn't – happen will have consequences for us all.

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Ailing Iran Nobel laureate given bail and hospital transfer

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2026

alaguraj@gmail.com

Iranian human rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi has been transferred from jail to a Tehran hospital amid concern over her deteriorating health.

Iranian authorities granted Mohammadi "a sentence suspension on heavy bail", a foundation run by her family said on Sunday.

Last week Mohammadi's family and supporters warned she could die in prison after suffering two suspected heart attacks earlier this year.

Mohammadi, 54, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her activism against female oppression in Iran and promoting human rights.

After pleas from her family for her to be transferred from prison, Mohammadi is "now at Tehran Pars Hospital to be treated by her own medical team", the Narges Mohammadi Foundation said in a statement.

She had spent 10 days hospitalised in Zanjan in northern Iran, where she had been serving her sentence.

Mohammadi's Paris-based husband said "she is not in a favourable general condition" and that "her status remains unstable", in a statement over the weekend.

The activist is believed to have lost about 20kg (three stone) while in prison, and has difficulty speaking and is barely recognisable, according to her lawyer Chirinne Ardakani.

In 2021, Mohammadi began serving a 13-year sentence on charges of committing "propaganda activity against the state" and "collusion against state security", which she denied.

In December 2024, she was given a temporary release from Tehran's notorious Evin prison on medical grounds.

Mohammadi was arrested last December for making "provocative remarks" at a memorial ceremony, Iranian authorities said at the time. Her family said she was taken to hospital after being beaten during the arrest.

In early February, Mohammadi was sentenced by a Revolutionary Court to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of "gathering and collusion" and "propaganda activities", her lawyer said.

Last month, Mohammadi's brother Hamidreza said his sister had been found unconscious by fellow inmates at Zanjan prison after suffering a suspected heart attack.

The foundation's statement on Sunday said "a suspension is not enough" and that the human rights activist requires "permanent, specialised care".

"We must ensure she never returns to prison to face the 18 years remaining on her sentence," it read.

"Now is the time to demand her unconditional freedom and the dismissal of all charges. No human and women's rights activists should ever be imprisoned for their peaceful work," it said.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j257w87neo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss