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The leader of the British Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, is facing an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over a gift of $6.7 million, or about £5 million, received from a donor to his party.
The investigation comes just days after Reform UK emerged as the biggest winner in local and regional elections in the UK, further strengthening its position on the British political scene.
A Reform UK spokesman denied any wrongdoing, telling Reuters that Farage "has always been clear that this was a personal and unconditional gift, and no rules were broken."
"We expect this matter to be closed once and for all," the spokesman added.
Farage has stated that he received the funds from Thailand-based billionaire and cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne to finance his personal security before announcing his candidacy in the 2024 national election, which secured him a seat in Parliament.
Farage said the payment did not constitute a political donation. However, rival parties accused him in April of breaching parliamentary rules, which require MPs to declare donations received in the year before an election within one month of taking office.
Reform UK has led national polls since the beginning of last year, which has also brought greater attention to the party's funding sources.
Last week, elections for around 5,000 seats in 136 local councils in England, as well as in the regional parliaments of Scotland and Wales, marked significant progress for Reform UK, including in areas traditionally considered Labour Party strongholds.
If the investigation concludes that Farage has committed serious breaches of parliamentary reporting rules, he could be temporarily suspended from the House of Commons.
A suspension of 10 days or more may trigger a procedure for collecting signatures from voters in his constituency, which could force him to face early elections for his term as MP.
According to British Electoral Commission data, around two-thirds of Reform UK's funding over the past year came from Christopher Harborne.
Political opponents argue that funding from a foreign-based billionaire contradicts the image Farage tries to create as an anti-establishment politician and "everyday man" representing the interests of ordinary citizens.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice claimed over the weekend that voters were aware of the gift and yet massively supported the party in the last election.
Earlier this year, Farage apologized after British parliamentary authorities found that he had inadvertently committed 17 breaches of rules on declaring financial interests.
These included payments received from Google and Elon Musk's company X Corp.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards concluded that the violations had not been intentional and that they were related to administrative problems and staff shortages.
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