Farage admission over timing of Reform leadership talks raises fresh doubts over £5m gift

Nigel Farage admits he discussed returning as Reform leader months before election, appearing to undermine previous claims Nigel Farage has made his clearest admission that he was in talks to return to lead Reform UK months before the 2024 general election, casting fresh doubt on previous claims that he was not involved in politics when he received a £5m gift. The admission will reopen questions about the nature of the gift – Farage has repeatedly insisted it was not linked to his political career since the Guardian first revealed it in April. On Monday, Farage admitted he had struck a deal with the party’s then leader, Richard Tice, and the convicted fraudster George Cottrell to return to frontline politics. Labour said the claim “has blown a gaping hole in his excuse” about why he did not declare the gift. Farage has previously said he did not need to declare the £5m from Christopher Harborne or benefits in kind from Cottrell because he was not in politics at the time they were received. He has said he had no intention of returning to politics until June 2024, just before the election. Sources have previously told the Guardian that Farage told senior figures in Reform U