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Nigel Farage: Brexit party does not accept foreign currency Nigel Farage: Brexit party does not accept foreign currency
(about 4 hours later)
Nigel Farage has insisted that his Brexit party does not accept donations in foreign currency as the Electoral Commission prepares to visit its offices as part of a funding review. Nigel Farage has insisted his Brexit party does not accept donations in foreign currency and dismissed the Electoral Commission as “full of remainers” as it visited his party’s office in a funding review.
The commission announced it was looking into the Brexit party’s donations after Gordon Brown urged it to investigate concerns over the legality of its funding.The commission announced it was looking into the Brexit party’s donations after Gordon Brown urged it to investigate concerns over the legality of its funding.
Brown said there were clear risks that democracy was being damaged if the Brexit party was allowed to accept foreign and untraceable donations via PayPal. Political gifts of under £500, whether made via the online payments service or another route, do not have to be declared.Brown said there were clear risks that democracy was being damaged if the Brexit party was allowed to accept foreign and untraceable donations via PayPal. Political gifts of under £500, whether made via the online payments service or another route, do not have to be declared.
Speaking to LBC on Tuesday, Farage said the review showed that the establishment was “rotten to the core”. Farage claimed the regulator was staffed by establishment figures and said he believed his party was “more compliant” than any others standing in the European elections.
In an interview with the Press Association, he lashed out at Channel 4 News, describing its reporters as “political activists”, after it said that the insurance tycoon Arron Banks had spent approximately £450,000 on Farage in the year following the EU referendum in 2016.
Discussing his party’s donation system, Farage said: “I’ve got a team of four qualified accountants looking after our money, our income. I bet we’re more compliant than any of the other parties in this election.
“I’ve crossed with the Electoral Commission before – they are not a neutral organisation, absolutely full of remainers, full of establishment figures.”
Farage confirmed he had barred access to Channel 4 News following its reporting on Banks. “I’m not speaking to them now, they are political activists. They are supposed to be a public service broadcaster, they’re not behaving in that way.
“We as an organisation have at the moment lost respect for Channel 4 News.”
The editor of Channel 4 News, Ben De Pear, said the programme was trying to regain media access to Farage and his party.
We hope to resolve our access ban from Brexit Party events ASAP. We were unaware of the 6-week ban until last Thursday when we broadcast this Nigel Farage investigation, revealing he had been bankrolled by £450k from Arron Banks. Until then we had full access, including to Farage https://t.co/giVSm2CIxg
An Electoral Commission spokesman said its visit was a response to public concerns about the way the Brexit party raises funds. He said: “Today’s visit is about taking a closer look at the systems the party has in place to receive funds. It gives us active oversight of the rules and this includes helping those regulated to understand them and to ensure there are systems in place to comply with them.
“As a newly registered party running a national election campaign who have put information into the public domain about the level of their fundraising, it is right and proper for the regulator to be in regular contact with the Brexit party.
“We have seen significant public concern about the way the party raises funds. We have not seen evidence of electoral offences, but the law in this area is complex and we want to satisfy ourselves that the party’s systems are robust.
He added “We are an independent and impartial organisation which is accountable to parliament.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Speaking to LBC, Farage said the review showed that the establishment was “rotten to the core”.
He added: “We don’t take foreign currency, end of that conversation.”He added: “We don’t take foreign currency, end of that conversation.”
His comments about foreign currency do not directly address concerns about foreign donations. In a report last year on digital campaigning, the commission recommended tighter controls to ensure money from foreign donors is not used in UK elections and referendum campaigns.His comments about foreign currency do not directly address concerns about foreign donations. In a report last year on digital campaigning, the commission recommended tighter controls to ensure money from foreign donors is not used in UK elections and referendum campaigns.
Those making donations of £500 or less do not have to verify that they are UK citizens. And whatever their origin, donations made to UK Paypal accounts are converted into pounds sterling.Those making donations of £500 or less do not have to verify that they are UK citizens. And whatever their origin, donations made to UK Paypal accounts are converted into pounds sterling.
Farage insisted the Brexit party was largely funded by people donating £25 each to become registered supporters.Farage insisted the Brexit party was largely funded by people donating £25 each to become registered supporters.
He said: “We’ve got a different model; we don’t have a traditional members model. We are doing it differently. As for this accusation that there is something going wrong, I was in a room last night up in Bolton and I said: ‘Hands up how many of you are registered supporters of the Brexit party?’ and of the thousand or so people in the room, 90% of them put their hand up.”He said: “We’ve got a different model; we don’t have a traditional members model. We are doing it differently. As for this accusation that there is something going wrong, I was in a room last night up in Bolton and I said: ‘Hands up how many of you are registered supporters of the Brexit party?’ and of the thousand or so people in the room, 90% of them put their hand up.”
He said Brown’s concerns were generated by envy of the party’s popularity in the opinion polls. “That’s where are money’s coming from and they cannot cope with our success,” Farage said.
On the commission’s review, he said: “We went to visit them last week. They said we had all the right procedures in place. We asked them for a letter to confirm that. They failed to give it.
“Now, in an act of bad faith, clearly politically motivated, despite the fact we had invited them to our offices, last week they were too busy to see us; this week, 48 hours before a national election, they are coming into our office.
“Not that they will find anything wrong. I’ve got a team of four accountants working on this. I’m not stupid.
“Once again it shows the establishment in this country is rotten to the core and we need to change politics for good.”
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said the media attention on Farage being doused in milkshake had diverted attention from the commission’s review into his party’s funding.
Speaking to ITV Good Morning Britain, she said: “Whatever you think of Nigel Farage, and I’m not a great fan, I don’t think we should be condoning or encouraging people to behave in that way. Not least because it took the attention away from a big story yesterday about where the Brexit party gets its money from.”
On Monday, an Electoral Commission spokeswoman said: “The Brexit party, like all registered political parties, has to comply with laws that require any donation it accepts of over £500 to be from a permissible source. It is also subject to rules for reporting donations, loans, campaign spending and end-of-year accounts. We have already been talking to the party about these issues.
“As part of our active oversight and regulation of these rules, we are attending the Brexit party’s office tomorrow to conduct a review of the systems it has in place to receive funds, including donations over £500 that have to be from the UK only. If there’s evidence that the law may have been broken, we will consider that in line with our enforcement policy.”
Under the political funding rules, political parties do not have to declare donations of £500 or less. But the commission pointed out that is an offence to try to evade controls on donations by making a series of small donations.
Nigel FarageNigel Farage
Brexit partyBrexit party
Party fundingParty funding
European parliamentary elections 2019European parliamentary elections 2019
European electionsEuropean elections
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