Nigel Farage ‘had deal in place to return as Reform leader months before general election’
Nigel Farage reportedly agreed a deal to return as Reform UK leader months before last year's general election, well before his announcement was made public in June. According to the Sunday Times, arrangements for his comeback were negotiated as early as March and April 2024, ahead of the July national vote, raising fresh questions about the timing and transparency of his political plans during that period.
The reported deal is said to have included a commitment for the party to pay off more than £1 million in outstanding loans owed to Richard Tice's company. Reform has disputed the characterisation, insisting Farage was merely keeping his options open and that no formal commitment to resume the leadership existed until his announcement in early June. The revelations could intensify scrutiny of Farage's acceptance of a £5 million gift from a billionaire Reform donor in early 2024, which he has maintained was a personal gift that did not require declaration to Parliament since he was then a media commentator rather than a candidate or party leader. Farage is currently contesting a by-election in Clacton.
- Farage allegedly arranged Reform leadership return months before it was announced
- Deal reportedly included clearing £1m+ of Richard Tice's company loans
- Reform denies any firm commitment existed before June announcement
New here? Start with this
Nigel Farage led Reform UK before stepping back in 2021, and then returned to the leadership last summer, just weeks before the general election, saying at the time he had decided to come back to help the party in the campaign. Reform UK is a right-wing party that has taken a hard line on immigration and other issues, and it made significant gains at the 2024 election. Richard Tice had been leading the party in Farage's absence.
The Sunday Times has now reported that arrangements for Farage's comeback were actually agreed months earlier, in the spring of 2024, rather than being a late decision as previously suggested. Farage separately received a £5 million gift from a wealthy Reform donor in early 2024, which he says he did not need to declare to Parliament because he was not yet an MP or party leader at that time.
This matters because it touches on questions of transparency around political funding and how senior party figures disclose their financial and organisational arrangements. Farage is also currently standing in a by-election in Clacton, the constituency he already represents as an MP, which keeps his conduct and finances under close public scrutiny.