Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Reform donor Cottrell is an old friend of Nigel Farage and that no parliamentary rules have been broken. Jenrick said Cottrell supported Farage before he was an MP but has not done so since, and described recent reporting as an attempt to drag Farage down.
Jenrick said he believes Farage stayed a couple of times at a London townhouse rented by Cottrell, very infrequently and within the allowances for politicians staying with friends. He also said Farage received help from Cottrell with staffing costs, including security, before he became a Member of Parliament, and argued that accepting such personal support prior to becoming an MP is permitted.
Cottrell was jailed in the US in 2017 for eight months after pleading guilty to wire fraud for posing as a money launderer in an attempt to defraud criminals on the dark web. Farage was reportedly with him when US authorities arrested the pair as they returned from a Republican convention.
Farage served as Reform’s honorary president from March 2021 until June 2024. He confirmed on 3 June 2024 that he was returning as party leader and standing at the general election, and he became Clacton MP in July 2024.
Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare financial interests and registrable benefits received in the 12 months before their election, though guidance says purely personal gifts or benefits do not need to be registered. When he became an MP, Farage registered a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 donated by Cottrell, and later added a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US domestic flight provided in December 2024. No other support from Cottrell appears in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
A Farage spokesman described the Sunday Times story as baseless and contrived, noting the period covered was when Farage was not an active or elected politician and reiterating that no parliamentary rules have been broken. A source linked to Reform said the party paid for Farage’s security and staff after his return to politics and denied that he received accommodation from Cottrell, saying the MP did not stay at the London property.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, is already investigating whether Farage broke the rules over a separate £5m gift from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne in early 2024. Farage has said Harborne provided the money to pay for his personal security and described the gift as purely private and not political.
Lib Dem MP Josh Babarinde has asked the commissioner to examine the new allegations about Cottrell’s support and to say whether they will form part of the existing Harborne inquiry or be handled separately. A Labour Party spokesperson said the claims add to a growing scandal around Farage and Reform, questioned what donors received in return, and accused Farage of trying to avoid legitimate questions. Labour also said Reform cannot simply shrug the matter off in response to Jenrick’s interview.
