Nigel Farage apologises for 17 breaches of MPs’ code of conduct

Overview

Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader and MP for Clacton, apologised for 17 breaches of the MPs’ code of conduct after failing to declare £380,000 of income on time. He said he had relied on a senior member of staff to submit his income to the register of interests and had been let down, but he took full responsibility for the error. He blamed “severe growing pains” as Reform UK had been overwhelmed by administration and emails since growing in size and gaining MPs at the 2024 election. The interests included his work as a broadcaster for GB News and payments for social media output on Google and X.

Breaches and income details

The standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg found a high number of breaches and that it was high value, but accepted that this had been inadvertent. Farage, the highest-earning MP, has previously admitted breaching parliamentary rules by failing to register a trip to Florida to appear at a fundraising event for Donald Trump. The organisation noted that some payments had been delayed, including payments put into his account months after they were provided. He said there was no intention to deceive anyone and that he had nothing to gain from late declarations, adding that the income was earned “because I am Nigel Farage.”

In his decision, Greenberg highlighted the breach history but accepted the lack of deceit. The Guardian’s reporting coverage accompanies this summary as part of ongoing scrutiny of MPs’ disclosures.

The computer illiterate claim

Farage told the standards commissioner that he does not do computers. “Why have payments that have gone into my account been delayed? Well, gross, gross administrative error. And I’m a little bit shocked by [it], especially as some payments were put in months after I had [provided them].” He insisted there was no deception and that he was not personally behind every entry, arguing that his lack of computer literacy contributed to administrative shortfalls.

Reactions and context

A Labour spokesperson criticised Farage for balancing outside income with political duties, saying MPs should be transparent about second jobs and filings. The party reiterated plans to tighten rules governing MPs’ external work. Keir Starmer has himself previously faced eight minor breaches for late declarations, illustrating ongoing scrutiny of conduct rules across parties.

Implications for MPs’ code of conduct

The standards commissioner concluded the breaches were inadvertent but highlighted a high value and frequency, underscoring the need for timely registrations and stronger administrative controls as political groups grow. The case amplifies calls to tighten rules on MPs’ second incomes to safeguard public trust.