Nigel Farage has declined to commit to making his tax records public, citing it as an intrusion beyond acceptable limits. The leader of the Reform party, who has disclosed over £800,000 in earnings from external sources since entering Parliament, was questioned about his transparency compared to Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. During an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Farage stated that he has not released his personal tax returns, deeming it an unnecessary invasion of privacy.
Farage expressed his reluctance to disclose his tax information following criticism for inaccurately claiming ownership of a property in his Clacton constituency. The four-bedroom house with a pool was actually purchased by his girlfriend, Laure Ferrari, for nearly £900,000. If Farage had bought the property himself, he would have incurred around £75,000 in second-home stamp duty, raising questions of hypocrisy given his previous calls for Angela Rayner to step down.
When asked about the property purchase, Farage justified it by saying, “The fact that she’s bought a house, I mean, why not?” He criticized a Mirror report for raising the issue, labeling it as “disgusting.” Farage hinted at the possibility of recruiting more former Conservative members to his party, acknowledging Reform’s lack of governmental experience. However, he ruled out the inclusion of Boris Johnson, citing the party’s need for more seasoned individuals.
Although Farage welcomed ex-ministers like Nadine Dorries to join Reform, he acknowledged the party’s deficiency in experience. He emphasized that party members would not support Boris Johnson’s entry due to concerns about his track record on immigration. Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley criticized Farage, stating that he lacks a clear plan for Britain and doubts the competency of his team to execute any plan effectively. Turley characterized Farage’s actions as egotistical rather than patriotic, urging for better leadership for the country.