Anna Isaac

But what I have uncovered is that he also made a gift of five million pounds to Nigel Farage weeks before Farage announced that he would be standing as an MP in the 2024 election.

So it's a really interesting development, I think, in building up a picture about the relationship between the two.

gift present was given to Farage personally during that time yes that's right so um so if we if we cast our minds back so you had on um I believe it's the 23rd of May um Nigel Farage had ruled himself out and then and said look I am going to keep being politically active I'm going to campaign for reform but I've chosen not to stand as an MP at this time

And that was in response, partly it was assumed to the sort of furore that was building about will he, won't he stand.

And then by June 3rd, it was revealed, trailed, and then he made a public announcement on June 4th.

of 2024, that he was going to stand, that he was going to stand for the seat of Clacton-on-Sea.

And if you cast your minds back, you'll also remember that there was a candidate that reform had put in place.

This was how last minute things were.

And that candidate was then replaced by Nigel Farage.

Yes, I mean, certainly to me £5 million would seem a large sum.

I think to most people, most readers, members of the public, £5 million is a lot of money.

And before this story, we knew absolutely nothing about it.

It hadn't been declared anywhere, either to the Electoral Commission or to the, they call it the Register of Members' Interests, but the parliamentary log that is kept of all the financial interests and benefits that MPs may receive.

So without this story, we simply wouldn't know about it.

Both Nigel Farage and Christopher Harbourn took an unusual step, which was to give an interview about the gift once they knew this story, once they'd been approached about this story by the Guardian.

Not to you?

Not to us, sadly, although they're always welcome to have an interview with us.

I'm very, very willing and able and glad to do an interview with them, should they be willing.

The offer's out there.

But they said that this is for security.