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| Nigel Farage: Party funding claims 'a disgusting smear' | Nigel Farage: Party funding claims 'a disgusting smear' |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has accused Gordon Brown of "a disgusting smear" in a row over party funding. | Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has accused Gordon Brown of "a disgusting smear" in a row over party funding. |
| At a speech in Glasgow, the ex-prime minister accused The Brexit Party of receiving "undeclared, untraceable payments" | |
| The ex-prime minister has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate. | The ex-prime minister has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate. |
| The Electoral Commission has said it works with all parties to ensure they comply with the law. | The Electoral Commission has said it works with all parties to ensure they comply with the law. |
| Mr Brown said there was no way of telling whether donations to The Brexit Party - which can be made through PayPal - come from British or foreign sources. | |
| "You can pay for this party in Russian roubles or American dollars," he said. | |
| "Democracy is ill served, and trust in democracy will continue to be undermined, if we have no answers as to where the money is coming from," he added. | |
| Under the rules governing donations, amounts below £500 do not have to be declared. | Under the rules governing donations, amounts below £500 do not have to be declared. |
| An official donation of £500 or more must be given by a "permissible donor", who should either be somebody listed on the UK electoral roll or a business registered at Companies House and operating in the UK. | An official donation of £500 or more must be given by a "permissible donor", who should either be somebody listed on the UK electoral roll or a business registered at Companies House and operating in the UK. |
| Pro-EU Labour MP Chris Bryant has also raised concerns, arguing: "It would be simple for a foreign power or individual to fund [The Brexit Party] by paying hundreds or thousands of £499 in sterling or other currencies as the party does not even verify names." | Pro-EU Labour MP Chris Bryant has also raised concerns, arguing: "It would be simple for a foreign power or individual to fund [The Brexit Party] by paying hundreds or thousands of £499 in sterling or other currencies as the party does not even verify names." |
| Responding to the Mr Brown's comments, Mr Farage said: "Most of our money has been raised by people giving £25 to become registered supporters." | Responding to the Mr Brown's comments, Mr Farage said: "Most of our money has been raised by people giving £25 to become registered supporters." |
| "And over 110,000 of them now have done that. And frankly, this smacks of jealousy because the other parties simply can't do this." | "And over 110,000 of them now have done that. And frankly, this smacks of jealousy because the other parties simply can't do this." |
| Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice said: "We've got a PayPal account for people paying less than £500; above that we apply the appropriate Electoral Commission rules." | |
| Asked if he could confirm whether the party takes cash from foreign citizens, Mr Tice said: "I don't sit in front of the PayPal account all day so I don't know what currencies people are paying in, but, as I understand it, the PayPal takes it in sterling." |