Fresh £270k payment puts spotlight back on Sheffield billionaire's £5m Nigel Farage gift
Sheffield-born billionaire's £5m gift to Nigel Farage back in spotlight after MP declares another £270,000 payment
A Sheffield-born billionaire's controversial £5 million gift to Nigel Farage has been thrust back into the spotlight after the Reform UK leader declared another £270,000 payment from a company he promotes.
Christopher Harborne, who grew up in Mosborough, has already donated more than £22 million to Reform UK and its predecessor, the Brexit Party, making him one of the party's biggest financial backers.
Now, fresh questions are being asked about Farage's earnings after Parliament's latest register of interests revealed he received £270,000 from gold investment firm Direct Bullion, where he acts as a brand ambassador.
The payment, declared this week, is the largest single payment Farage has registered since becoming an MP and is double the fee he received from the company in 2025.
It comes as the Reform leader remains under investigation by Parliament's Standards Commissioner over the £5 million gift from Harborne.
Farage has consistently maintained he did nothing wrong and has argued the money was a personal gift rather than a political donation.
According to the BBC, he has said the payment was intended to help fund his personal security and has repeatedly refused to reveal how much has been spent, insisting it is "not the public's business".
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is investigating whether the gift should have been declared after Farage entered Parliament following the 2024 General Election.
Harborne, 63, is estimated by The Sunday Times Rich List to be worth more than £18 billion, making him Yorkshire's wealthiest person.
Much of his fortune comes from cryptocurrency investments, including a significant stake in stablecoin company Tether.
Earlier this month it also emerged that Harborne had rejoined the UK electoral register after registering at a Hampshire address.
The move follows changes to political donation rules that limit how much overseas British citizens can donate unless they are registered to vote in the UK.
A spokesperson for Harborne confirmed he had registered to vote again but said no decisions had been made on any future political donations.
If the Standards Commissioner concludes Farage breached MPs' rules on declaring financial interests, potential sanctions could range from an apology to suspension from the House of Commons.