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Farage Referred to Standards Watchdog After Disclosing Firebomb Attack and £5m Security Gift

The case tests how UK rules treat private security gifts to MPs.

Overview

  • Nigel Farage, who disclosed the incident Wednesday in a Telegraph interview, said a lit petrol bomb was pushed through his letterbox in early 2025 and police have found no suspects.
  • He said Thailand-based donor Christopher Harborne gave him about £5 million in early 2024 as a personal gift to fund his security after he failed to secure Home Office protection.
  • Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake referred him to Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a possible failure to register gifts received in the 12 months before entering the Commons.
  • Reform UK said the money was a personal, unconditional gift given before he became an MP and said rules were followed, disputing reports he received it weeks before announcing his Clacton run.
  • Harborne’s status as a major Reform funder, including a record £9 million party donation last year, and the attack on Farage feed a wider debate over MP safety and donor influence in UK politics.