Ministers to crack down on political donations as Farage faces calls for second inquiry

Measures to be announced to make funding more transparent amid new revelations about Reform UK leader Ministers will launch a crackdown on large political donations on Monday, as Nigel Farage faces a possible second investigation into gifts he received from a convicted fraudster before becoming an MP. The government will announce a series of measures to make political funding more transparent, including restrictions on donations from foreign-based benefactors. But it is under pressure to go further after the revelation that the Reform UK leader received a number of benefits from the crypto entrepreneur George Cottrell before the general election. Those benefits could also become the subject of a new investigation by Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary standards commissioner, who is already looking into a £5m donation to Farage from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Announcing the new rules, the communities secretary, Steve Reed, said: “British democracy is not for sale. These tough new rules will shut down dodgy funding, stop foreign money influencing our elections and keep our democracy strong.” Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, said: “We’re cracking d