Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party and Member of Parliament for Clacton, has apologised for 17 breaches of the MPs’ code of conduct. The breaches stem from Farage’s failure to declare £380,000 of income on time, which he attributes to being “computer-illiterate” and relying on a senior staff member who let him down.
Farage, who is the highest-earning MP, said the delays were due to “severe growing pains” as Reform UK had been overwhelmed by administration and emails since gaining more MPs in the 2024 election. The unreported income included his work as a broadcaster for GB News and payments for social media output on Google and X.
This is not the first time Farage has run afoul of parliamentary rules. He previously admitted to failing to register a trip to Florida to appear at a fundraising event for former US President Donald Trump.
In his apology, Farage took full responsibility for the errors, stating: “I’m sorry. I apologise. I fully accept that I’m in the wrong in every way, because if your staff mess up, ultimately you’re responsible and that’s what happens with rank in life, whether you’re, you know, running a business or a member of parliament.”
The Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, found that while the breaches were numerous and of high value, they were deemed to be inadvertent. Farage insisted he has never been in trouble with tax authorities, does not claim expenses, and is not making money from being an MP, but rather his income is earned “because I am Nigel Farage.”
A Labour party spokesperson criticised Farage, stating that he is “so distracted with tempting failed Tory politicians into his party that he can’t even get the basics right.” They accused Farage of “lining his pockets” instead of standing up for his constituents, and vowed that Labour will tighten the rules on MPs’ second jobs to ensure the public receives the attention they expect from their elected representatives.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also previously been found by the Standards Commissioner to have declared his financial interests late, leading to eight minor and inadvertent breaches of the code.
