Farage inadvertently breached MPs' rules, says watchdog

6 hours ago 6

Kate WhannelPolitical reporter

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage breached MPs' rules 17 times by failing to register financial interests totalling £384,000 within the 28-day limit, the parliamentary commissioner for standards has ruled.

Daniel Greenberg said that following an investigation he had concluded that the breaches were "inadvertent" and due to "staffing and other administrative issues".

He added that Farage had apologised and had promised to meet the deadline in the future.

The interests that Farage failed to report on time include payments for his appearances on GB News, speaking engagements with Google and money earned through the Cameo app.

In his reply to the commissioner, Farage said he was "sincerely sorry" for the rule breaches adding that there had been "no malicious intent".

He also said he had been "extremely let down by a very senior member of staff".

During a meeting with the commissioner on 11 December 2025, Farage said he had been "a little bit shocked" by the "gross administrative error".

"You may say, why don't I enter those things myself. Well I don't do computers... so I rely on other people to do those things for me.

"I'm not, I'm afraid, computer literate, which makes me yet more an oddball than perhaps I was before."

He also said the delays had been the result of "severe growing pains".

"Our political lives have exploded in the last 18 months in ways that we could never have comprehended.

"We are overwhelmed in every sense. Even my MP e-mail gets 1000 emails a day.

"And we've basically failed to cope with, or to be frank, not just with this, but with many other things too."

Following his investigation, the commissioner could decide whether to close the case or recommend a sanction for the MP.

In his report, he said his decision to close the case was "finely balanced" particularly given the high value of some of the interests.

However, he said he was satisfied that the breaches had been inadvertent and that he would not be referring the case to the Committee on Standards.

Rule five of the parliamentary code of conduct states that new MPs should register all their financial interests received in the 12 months before their election and that MPs "must register any change in those registrable interests within 28 days".

Farage missed the deadline 17 times, with delays spanning from four days to as long as 120 days.

A Labour Party spokesperson said Farage "isn't on the side of working people - he's just lining his pockets when he should be standing up for his constituents".

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