Nigel Farage is facing calls to "come clean" after reports he could have breached parliamentary rules by failing to register a visit to the United States. The Reform UK leader did not disclose who paid for his trip to Florida in March to headline a fundraiser for Donald Trump, according to The Sunday Times.
Farage appeared as a special guest at a Republican Party event in Tallahassee, missing Prime Minister's Questions to attend. Tables for top-tier "Trump sponsors" at the "Disruptors Dinner" were said to cost 25,000 US dollars and included photos with the Clacton MP and tickets to a VIP reception.
Parliamentary disclosure rules
MPs are required to register visits abroad within 28 days that cost more than £300 if they are not wholly paid for by the MP or public funds. Farage did not report the trip or any possible earnings from his appearance at the event.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats called on the Clacton MP to disclose how the trip was funded. The PA news agency contacted Reform UK for comment following the Sunday Times report.
Political responses
A spokesman for Farage told the newspaper: "We thank The Sunday Times for bringing this to our attention, the record will be updated in due course." He did not reveal who paid for the flight, whether Farage was paid a fee or how much.
Anna Turley, chairwoman of the Labour Party, said: "Nigel Farage has failed to disclose who funded this US trip, refused to answer questions about his tax affairs, and changed his story about where he lives. Rather than representing his constituents in the UK Parliament to which the people of Clacton elected him, he's been jetting off abroad to call for sanctions against our country, putting British jobs at risk."
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: "Nigel Farage needs to come clean on who's bankrolling his trips abroad to badmouth Britain. He uses every opportunity he can to talk down Britain and suck up to Trump while failing to represent his constituents in Parliament. The public deserve to know whether the Trump administration and their cronies are funding these trips, using Farage as a puppet to meddle in British politics."
Sources used: "The Sunday Times", "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
