Revealed: Farage's £5m gift came after saying he needed 'a million a year' to stand as MP

Nigel Farage's acceptance of a £5 million gift from a donor came months after he had told associates that he needed "a million a year" to make standing as an MP financially viable, according to documents and testimony that raise fresh questions about the circumstances surrounding one of the largest political donations in British history.

The disclosure, contained in a report by the parliamentary standards commissioner, establishes for the first time that Farage had explicitly linked his decision to stand for parliament to his personal financial requirements. The £5 million gift, which is currently under investigation by the Electoral Commission, was received after Farage was elected as MP for Clacton in the 2024 general election.

Farage has consistently maintained that the gift was entirely separate from his political activities and was intended to support him personally after a career in which he had not accumulated significant wealth. But the commissioner's report notes that the timing and scale of the gift, combined with Farage's earlier comments about his financial needs, created an appearance of impropriety that required investigation.

The investigation has not concluded that any rules were broken, but the commissioner has referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police for assessment of whether any criminal offences may have been committed. The Electoral Commission is conducting a parallel investigation into whether the gift should have been declared as a political donation.

Farage has described the investigations as politically motivated and has said he will be exonerated. The Reform UK leader has used the controversy to reinforce his core political message — that the establishment is trying to silence him — and his poll ratings have not been significantly affected by the revelations.