Nigel Farage probed over crypto gift as Reform Party eyes Green seats for detention centres

A parliamentary ethics investigation has been opened into Reform Party leader Nigel Farage after it emerged that he bought a property worth about £1.4 million (roughly $1.8 million) in May 2024, weeks before announcing his candidacy for parliament. The purchase was partially financed by a £5 million personal gift from Christopher Harborne, a British cryptocurrency billionaire. Farage insists the money was a private gift and not a political donation, but critics argue it should have been declared under parliamentary rules. The probe comes amid growing calls in the UK to tighten rules on crypto‑related political funding.

At the same time, Reform Party spokesman Zia Yusuf announced a controversial policy to locate migrant detention centres in constituencies and councils controlled by the Green Party of England and Wales, including areas such as Brighton. The move is presented as a strategy to challenge the Greens ahead of upcoming elections and is being described as one of the most incendiary proposals by a UK party in recent decades.