Rob Groves: Burnham's Brexit Reset vs the Farage Clause

July 25, 2026 | Andy Burnham's first week as Prime Minister brings a new Europe minister, a fresh call with Brussels, and a reset that might finally go further than Starmer's timid version ever did. But the EU isn't just hoping for the best, they're planning for the worst, with a clause reportedly nicknamed after Nigel Farage.

Farage’s Furious Clash with Times Editor Stuns Figures Close to Him

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Strong confrontation’ comes at fragile moment for Reform’s relations with rightwing media as coverage turns negative

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Nigel Farage speaking at the inaugural CPAC GB event on 17 July. Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock
Nigel Farage is no stranger to expressing his ire at what he regards as the liberal establishment, but even figures close to him were surprised at the tirade of anger he unleashed upon the editor of the Times.

The exchange, which is said to have included an expletive aimed at Tony Gallagher, was triggered by the Reform UK leader’s outrage that the paper was planning to run a story about his houses, which he said endangered his family.

A source with knowledge of the encounter said it ended in “a strong confrontation”.

It is a fragile moment for Reform’s relationship with Britain’s rightwing media, whose coverage of Farage and his byelection gamble has taken a negative turn since questions were raised about his funding and finances.

Coverage by the Times and the Sun, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News UK stable, as well as the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, has made for tough reading for Reform in recent days.

While the Telegraph has given column inches to party figures to air their grievances at the media, recent stories have also described Farage’s decision to subject himself to a “people versus the establishment” byelection in Clacton as a “summer gamble” and a farce. » | Michael Savage | Media editor | Saturday, July 18, 2026

Michael Lambert: I Found Out that Nobody Cares about the By-election

July 17, 2026 | I went to the seaside this week. I went to Clacton to experience the excitement of the coming by-election; but what I found was something much more concerning for our democracy.

I spoke to more than 40 people, and what astonished me was the sheer number of voters who knew nothing about the by-election or simply didn't care about politics at all.

Of those who did, the divide was stark: either a cult-like devotion to Nigel Farage, or a damning view of him as an opportunist chancer.

In this video, I break down the conversations I had, the misinformation being spread, and why the "they are all the same" narrative is dangerous for our political discourse.


Nigel Farage is indeed a charlatan. I agree with you totally. Unfortunately, many people in this country are not discerning enough to be able to observe his character flaws. I cannot help but worry for the future of democracy in this country. In fact, with Trump in power in the US as well, I cannot help but worry about the future of democracy in the West as a whole. — © Mark Alexander

Meet George | Posh George: The Criminal Behind Farage Ep.1

Jul 16, 2026 | Who is George Swinfen Cottrell, aka Posh George? Booted out of his expensive boarding school after gambling in 2010, he comes of age in London’s Mayfair district, learning the tricks of his trade in international finance, private banking, and offshore structures.

George is soon drawn into the orbit of UKIP leader, Nigel Farage.

Both George Cottrell and Nigel Farage deny any wrongdoing.

Host: Gabriel Pogrund, editor of Insight at The Sunday Times

Rob Groves: Farage's Runaway Gravy Train Derails

July 11, 2026 | Nigel Farage built his entire brand on being the one honest man taking on a corrupt establishment.

This week, the facts underneath Reform UK's accounts tell a very different story: an undisclosed £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, a convicted fraudster acting as the party's unofficial treasurer, money routed through a renamed company and an Australian currency exchange nobody can trace, deputy leader Richard Tice's murky Dubai property deal, and Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick under active Metropolitan Police investigation over an allegedly illegal foreign donation.

Meanwhile Farage has triggered a pointless by-election in Clacton, running unopposed against novelty candidate Count Binface, in a transparent bid to dodge the scrutiny closing in from the parliamentary standards commissioner, the Met, the National Crime Agency and his own furious donors.

Michael Lambert: Nigel Farage's Political Career Is Collapsing

July 10, 2026 | Nigel Farage's political career is on the brink. The latest revelations regarding his financial dealings and the wider scrutiny on Reform UK suggest that what many thought was an unstoppable force is now facing a definitive collapse.

In this video, I break down the timeline of events, the serious questions regarding campaign funding, and why the narrative surrounding Farage has shifted so drastically. It’s a classic case of political hubris meeting intense public and legal scrutiny. I mean, the way this has been handled—or rather, mishandled—it's just… it's just not right. …


What amazes me about Nigel Farage is that so many of the so-called "great and the good" in this country take him so seriously as a future prime minister. He is the man who has impoverished the nation through Brexit and ruined its international standing; yet they are so ready and willing to talk of him one day soon occupying the top political job in this country! To me, the man is nothing but a charlatan and snake-oil salesman. A fraud. I couldn't and wouldn't vote for that man even if he was the last man standing! — © Mark Alexander

People in Clacton TURN ON Nigel Farage after Shock Resignation and NEW By-election Bid

July 8, 2026 | Rattled Nigel Farage has been left humiliated as his “cynical political stunt” to quit as an MP and trigger a by-election in his own seat spectacularly unravelled.

The under-fire Reform chief, who said he would fight in the Clacton contest, desperately attempted to frame the fight as a “people versus the establishment by-election”.

Critics said he had “jumped before he’s pushed” amid a probe by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over his failure to declare a £5million gift from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before his election as an MP.

'Scratch the Surface and They Don’t Like It’ | Sunday Times Editor Explains Farage Investigation

ul 8, 2026 | Ben Taylor, Sunday Times editor, explains what Reform's reaction to the weekend's revelations reveals about how they view "proper scrutiny". He adds Nigel Farage should ask himself if he believes in a free press or wants to “go down the Trumpian route”.

“They’ve become quite used to the popularity and the acclaim ... But if you scratch the surface, they don't like it."


That these people are even giving mind space to the possibility that Farage could ever be this country’s prime minister is something which I find profoundly depressing. Farage is the cause of Brexit which has, in turn, impoverished the nation. Then, to go on and talk about his possibly becoming prime minister after he has caused the British economy so much harm is, to my mind, not only ironic and nonsensical, but it is also absurd! The man is a self-enriching, Trump-loving charlatan. Even now, at this early stage, he shows all the signs of being equally as corrupt. Too use Thatcher;s famous phrase: No! No! No! The British electorate deserve better than this. — © Mark Alexander

Andrew Neil: Farage Is ‘Losing His Touch’

Jul 8, 2026 | “It’s all backfired very badly on him.”

The fact that the other main parties are not standing in the Clacton by-election means the whole thing is a “charade”, says Andrew Neil.


Perish the thought that Nigel Farage should ever become prime minister! — © Mark Alexander

Farage Is Developing a ‘Trump-like’ Attitude | William Hague

Jul 7, 2026 | “I hope this playing the victim is not going to work with people.”

Nigel Farage is developing a “Trump-like” attitude when it comes to dealing with the press that “rules don’t apply to him”, but he is facing “normal scrutiny”, says former Conservative leader William Hague.

Farage Resigns and Says He Will Run Again in Special Election

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Nigel Farage, leader of the populist right-wing party Reform U.K., has come under increasing pressure after a series of revelations about undisclosed gifts and donations.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the populist right-wing Reform U.K. party, on Tuesday said he would resign his seat in Parliament and run for re-election in his Clacton seat to answer criticism of his financial affairs.

The unexpected move comes after recent revelations about gifts and financial support received by Mr. Farage, both from a cryptocurrency billionaire and from a political ally who was once convicted of fraud in the United States.

“I have decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” Mr. Farage said in a statement that was broadcast on his party’s YouTube channel. “This will be a ‘people versus the establishment’ by-election,” he added, referring to a special parliamentary election.

The success of Mr. Farage, whose anti-immigration party has led in opinion polls for more than a year, was instrumental in destabilizing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month.

But Mr. Farage has suffered several setbacks lately amid growing scrutiny of his financial affairs.

In May, it emerged that he had received an undisclosed gift of 5 million pounds (about $6.7 million) from a cryptocurrency billionaire, Christopher Harborne, a Briton who lives in Thailand.

Mr. Farage argues that the gift was unconditional, was made before he won a seat in Parliament in the general election in 2024 and there was no requirement to declare it. However, Daniel Greenberg, Parliament’s standards commissioner, has opened an investigation into whether the money should have been made public under rules that require new lawmakers to declare some financial benefits received in the 12 months before their election.

Over the weekend, the Sunday Times of London reported that Mr. Farage had separately failed to declare benefits provided by a political ally, George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster who served prison time in the United States.

According to the newspaper, Mr. Cottrell’s support included providing social media staff who worked for Mr. Farage in the year before he was elected, as well as the use of a property rented by Mr. Cottrell near Buckingham Palace.

Mr. Farage has insisted he followed all of the rules and has accused journalists of “despicable behavior” and of hounding his family.

However, in his statement on Tuesday, Mr. Farage suggested that the Sunday Times article had now triggered a second investigation, saying that, “Despite the fact that many of the things that were written in the article were inaccurate or irrelevant, yet another standards investigation is underway.” U.K. Live Update » | Stephen Castle | Reporting from London | Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Royaume-Uni : soupçonné d’avoir enfreint les règles de transparence financière du parlement, Nigel Farage dans les turbulences

Cette photo provient de cet article du Figaro. | Nigel Farage. Temilade Adelaja / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le bouillant dirigeant du parti nationaliste de droite Reform UK crie au complot, alors qu’on l’accuse d’avoir omis de déclarer des avantages en nature et reçu des sommes d’argent dans des conditions douteuses.

Pour Nigel Farage, c’est un « coup monté de l’establishment ». Mis en cause dans des histoires financières, le bouillant dirigeant du parti anti-immigration Reform UK crie au complot, alors qu’il survole les sondages. Le pionnier du Brexit est soupçonné d’avoir omis de déclarer des avantages en nature, reçus avant son élection. Les instances du Parlement ont été saisies. Une affaire qui vient après d’autres accusations du même ordre et qui fragilise le trublion de la vie politique britannique.

Dans son édition de ce week-end, le Sunday Times affirme que Nigel Farage a bénéficié, au cours de l’année précédant son élection comme député en 2024, d’un certain nombre d’avantages - services de sécurité, hébergement et communication -, financés par un certain George Cottrell. Ce dernier aurait notamment payé deux personnes, dont une chargée des réseaux sociaux, ainsi que des gardes du corps. Or, selon les règles du Parlement, les nouveaux députés sont tenus de déclarer leurs intérêts financiers ainsi que les « avantages devant être enregistrés » perçus au cours des 12 mois précédents. Les cadeaux d’ordre personnel sont toutefois exemptés. « Je pense que de nombreuses questions se posent concernant ses finances, a déclaré dimanche sur la BBC le ministre de la Santé, James Murray, il semble entretenir un rapport quelque peu élastique avec la transparence ». » | Par Arnaud De La Grange, correspondant à Londres | lundi 6 juillet 2026

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Nigel Farage est à l'origine d'une grande partie des maux dont souffre l'économie britannique aujourd'hui. Le Brexit n'aurait jamais eu lieu sans lui, et cela a appauvri la nation. Nous n'avons aucune raison de remercier ce grande-gueule. — © Mark Alexander

Nigel Farage's 'Posh George' Funding Allegations Deepen | Michael Crick

Jul 6, 2026 | "The whole thing stinks."

Nigel Farage's political future has been thrown into sharper focus as fresh revelations over undeclared gifts and donations raise new questions about transparency and political funding, says political commentator and biographer Michael Crick.

Trump’s $2bn Bonanza Heralds the Rise of Political Grifters across the West

THE GUARDIAN: With voters embracing leaders who brazenly monetise public office, experts say an ethical code is breaking down

Donald Trump came to office in 2017 after decades of bankruptcies and business failures. Yes, he was rich, but his latest financial disclosure, published this week, suggests he will depart billions richer.

In the first year of his second term, he made more than $2bn from Trump hotels, Trump golf courses, Trump cryptocurrency, Trump watches, Trump cologne, Trump Bibles and more.

That means Trump has accomplished something none of his predecessors achieved, at least not on this scale: transforming the American presidency into a moneymaking enterprise.

Politicians have always enriched themselves but the chutzpah with which Trump is doing so raises the possibility that an ethical code is breaking down. And not just in the US. Across the west, from Clacton to Queensland, a new type of leader is emerging: the political grifter.

Making public office a ticket to the high life while living standards fall might seem a hard sell to the electorate. Yet many voters seem prepared to put up with grifting, even happy to reward it.

Nigel Farage has traded on his fame and influence to become the best-paid MP at Westminster while maintaining an image as the champion of downtrodden Britons. He takes flights on the private jets of a billionaire benefactor, as does the Australian populist Pauline Hanson, who has repeatedly breached rules on declaring them.

“For decades, there was an implicit understanding that using public office for personal enrichment carried political and reputational risks,” says Tutu Alicante, a human rights lawyer based in the US and an expert in kleptocracy worldwide. “That restraint appears to be eroding.”

Alicante adds: “What feels different today is the brazenness.” The shift reminds him of places like his native Equatorial Guinea, where “corruption has become aspirational” as youngsters idolise the flashy kleptocrats who drive Lamborghinis and hang out with models.

“I worry we’re beginning to see echoes of the same phenomenon in parts of the west, where politicians who openly monetise public office – and the business figures and influencers who orbit them – are celebrated by some as symbols of success rather than cautionary tales.” » | Tom Burgis | Sunday, July 5, 2026

If Americans had had some spunk and balls, they would have incarcerated that orange, corrupt, slimeball long ago! The powers-that-be would have brought him down. Now, Trump will bring down the West instead. It seems as if the future may belong to Islam after all! No civilization can exist for long when it has lost its moral compass. This must surely be the start of the death of the West. Iranians have long chanted ‘Death to America’ (Marg bar Amrika). Perhaps the Iranians were more prescient than we ever gave them credit for. — © Mark Alexander

Posh George: The Convicted Criminal Secretly Funding Farage

Jul 4, 2026 | A Sunday Times Insight investigation exposes George Cottrell — a British aristocrat and convicted fraudster known as "Posh George" — as the shadowy figure secretly bankrolling and advising Nigel Farage. Despite having no official role, Cottrell funded Farage's lifestyle, recruited his staff, and transformed his social media presence, all whilst being involved in a crypto gambling platform in Montenegro. The investigation raises serious questions about undeclared financial support and Farage's judgement.

Farage said the benefits did not require registration and that he could not comment on Cottrell's business affairs. Both deny wrongdoing.

A Reform UK spokesman said: “It comes as no surprise that the Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election. Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken. We also understand The Sunday Times has a new podcast to promote, which it seems very excited about. Its agenda should be plain for all to see.”

Nigel Farage’s Secrecy around Personal Finances Hurts the Whole Reform Party | Paul Scully

Jul 5, 2026 | “There will be millions of people up and down the country who won't read the finer detail of Gabriel's report… but they will know that there's a lot of money circling Nigel Farage in a hugely, deeply inappropriate manner.”

A Sunday Times investigation has found that Nigel Farage has been secretly funded by a convicted crypto-gambler known as ‘Posh George’, as scrutiny builds over the Reform UK leader’s personal finances that “do not pass the sniff test” for the average voter, says former Conservative minister, Paul Scully.

Will Farage's Finances Lead to His Downfall?

Jul 3, 2026 | Nigel Farage has drawn increasing political and public scrutiny for a £5 million personal gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne in 2024. Farage says it’s for his security and nobody else’s business, but has he made a political misstep which risks his future aspirations to be PM? And do extra revelations about his property portfolio and his lucrative role with a gold bullion company add extra pressure?

Farage’s Money-making Business: 'The Public Deserves to Know' | Fraser Nelson & Andrew Neil

Jul 2, 2026 | “He doesn’t seem to welcome this particular part of the scrutiny that comes with public life.”

Farage isn’t “great” at declaring financial gifts and properties, but the public deserves to know, given that he is still widely seen as the person most likely to become prime minister, says The Times’s Fraser Nelson.

270.000 livres pour 12 heures de travail : les revenus records du député pro-Brexit Nigel Farage passent mal Outre-Manche

LE FIGARO : Déjà visé par une enquête sur un don de 5 millions de livres, le chef du parti populiste Reform UK vient de percevoir l’équivalent de 22.500 livres de l’heure pour promouvoir un négociant en or. Un cumul d’activités toléré par la loi britannique.

Ce n’est certainement pas son traitement de député britannique qui allait lui offrir un taux horaire aussi intéressant. Selon les informations du Financial Times, qui s’est penché sur le registre des intérêts des députés publié mardi, le député souverainiste et pro-Brexit Nigel Farage vient d’empocher la coquette somme de 270.000 livres sterling (environ 315.000 euros), pour seulement... 12 heures de travail ! Sa mission : incarner l’image de marque de Direct Bullion, un négociant en lingots d’or. De quoi afficher un taux horaire particulièrement alléchant, 22.500 livres, soit plus de 26.200 euros de l’heure - deux fois plus que ce que lui versait déjà l’entreprise en octobre 2025. » | Par Jean Kedroff | jeudi 2 juillet 2026

Il faut que cela cesse ! Cet homme est-il un homme politique, une vedette de télévision ou un publicitaire ? Une seule personne ne peut trouver assez de temps, dans une journée, une semaine ou une année, pour assumer ces trois rôles à la fois. Comment un député peut-il exercer correctement ses fonctions et représenter sa circonscription alors que son attention est sollicitée de toutes parts ? Cet homme est exactement comme Trump : il ne cherche qu'à s'enrichir personnellement. — © Mark Alexander

« Send them home ! » : pourquoi le peuple britannique se révolte dans la rue contre l’immigration

Cette capture d'écran provient de cet article du Figaro. | Un manifestant anti-immigration face à un policier à Glasgow (Ecosse),le 13 juin 2026. JEFF J MITCHELL / Getty Images via AFP
LE FIGARO : ENQUÊTE - Longtemps présenté comme un pays de modération civique, le Royaume-Uni voit surgir une colère populaire de plus en plus violente contre l’immigration, unique en Europe. Entre faits divers meurtriers, scandale des grooming gangs, sentiment de déclassement et percée de Nigel Farage, le pays accuse ses élites d’avoir trahi le contrat national.

Belfast, Southampton, Glasgow, Londres, du nord au sud du royaume, du cœur de l’Angleterre à l’Irlande du Nord, court régulièrement une vague de colère. À chaque crime commis par une personne d’origine étrangère, la rue s’enflamme et les manifestations se muent parfois en violentes émeutes. Cette protestation musclée est la face spectaculaire d’un rejet de « l’immigration de masse » chez une partie grandissante de la population britannique. Un phénomène d’une ampleur inédite en Europe.

Partout, les slogans se ressemblent ou se répondent. « Nous ne nous soumettrons jamais », disent les banderoles brandies dans les rues de Glasgow, après l’attaque au couteau perpétrée à Belfast la semaine dernière par un réfugié soudanais. « Résistons à cette nouvelle attaque d’envahisseurs contre notre peuple », exhorte Tommy Robinson - de son vrai nom Stephen Yaxley-Lennon -, la figure de proue de la nouvelle extrême droite anglaise. « Justice pour Henry », scandent les manifestants de Southampton, en écho à la mort de Henry Nowak, ce jeune étudiant menotté par la police alors qu’il agonisait, après avoir été accusé à tort d’injures racistes par son meurtrier, un sikh. » | Par Arnaud De La Grange, correspondant à Londres | mercredi 17 juin 2026

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