Farage Accused of Crypto Lobbying for Big Donor

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has been reported to Parliament's standards watchdog over allegations that he lobbied the Bank of England on cryptocurrency policy in a way that could benefit his biggest donor. The complaint centers on a private meeting last September between Farage and Governor Andrew Bailey, in which Farage reportedly urged Bailey to scrap plans for a state-run digital pound.

The allegations stem from an undeclared £5 million gift received by Farage from Christopher Harborne, a British billionaire who holds a 12% stake in USDT issuer Tether. Harborne has also given Reform UK a further £15 million and taken two £25,000 political donations from him for trips to the U.S. and the Chagos Islands.

Farage has previously championed the cryptocurrency space, calling for the UK to establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve and pushing for lower capital gains taxes on digital assets. The Bank of England said the September meeting was part of its routine engagement with political figures and acknowledged that Farage and Bailey held differing views on the digital pound.