- A Sunday Times investigation alleges Reform UK leader Nigel Farage received undisclosed backing for staff, security and housing from George Cottrell, potentially breaching MPs’ disclosure rules.
- Cottrell, who served eight months in a US federal prison for wire fraud, later became involved with Tether.bet, an offshore crypto gambling platform accused of serving UK customers unlicensed.
- The report also links Reform donor and Tether stakeholder Christopher Harborne to the platform’s founding, allegations Farage’s party has dismissed as “baseless and contrived.”
Nigel Farage received extensive undisclosed financial support from a convicted fraudster with ties to an offshore crypto gambling operation, a Sunday Times investigation alleges, raising questions over whether the Reform UK leader breached parliamentary disclosure rules.
The investigation reports that George Cottrell allegedly funded staff who boosted Farage’s social media presence before his election, paid rent understood to run into tens of thousands for a five-storey townhouse near Buckingham Palace, and covered travel, security and accommodation.
Farage declared only £9,253.60 (AU$17,806.86) on entering Parliament, the report notes.
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From Prison to a Betting Platform
Cottrell was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare airport in 2016 while travelling with Farage after attending the Republican National Convention. He later pleaded guilty to wire fraud and served eight months in a US federal prison.
After his release he relocated to Montenegro and became involved with Tether.bet, an offshore platform the investigation describes as offering unlicensed crypto betting, including to UK customers.
The report alleges Tether.bet’s website was registered days after Farage, Cottrell and billionaire Christopher Harborne shared a lunch in Mayfair in July 2020. It further claims that, as late as 2022, UK customer access was routed through two British shell companies, one said to be linked to a Reform official.
Harborne, a Thailand-based businessman, is reported to hold an estimated 12% stake in Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, and has donated more than £12 million (AU$23.1 million) to Reform UK.
Cottrell’s mother, Fiona, separately gave £750,000 (AU$1.4 million) to the party in 2025, the report notes. The investigation frames the relationships as an overlapping network of crypto wealth surrounding the party’s leadership, and cites parliamentary experts who say benefits that might reasonably be seen to influence an MP should be declared where any doubt exists.
A spokesperson for Reform dismissed the reporting as “baseless and contrived,” arguing the support predated Farage’s active political career and therefore required no declaration. Farage has said he was a media personality and commentator, not a sitting politician, during the relevant period.
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