'If you’re unsure, declare it': Lucy Powell hits out at Farage over claims he accepted 'eye-watering' donations from convicted criminal

Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google

Speaking on Sunday with Lewis Goodall, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party insisted allegations linked to Farage accepting donations was "causing quite a lot of damage to his brand" and was "coming up on the doorstep".

"We all know as members of parliament, if you’re unsure, declare it,” Ms Powell told LBC.

It comes after Farage was referred to the parliamentary standards committee on Sunday over claims he violated rules by accepting support from convicted criminal and crypto-gambler George Cottrell, 32, and failed to properly declare the donations.

A spokesman for Mr Farage denied the latest allegations, with Liberal Democrat MP, Josh Babarinde, writing to the parliamentary standards committee on Sunday.

“We have these declaration and transparency rules for a reason, to ensure - the public and each other - we can be sure that any support we receive as a politician, as a public figure, is transparent,” Powell insisted.

She highlighted that process helped avoid “conflict or influence or undue influence”.

Read more: Burnham ranked a 'more capable' potential Prime Minister than Farage and Badenoch, poll for LBC reveals

Read more: 'Something is very broken in British politics' warns JD Vance in message to Andy Burnham

It comes after Mr Farage found himself in hot water over the £5 million donation from another crypto-tycoon, Christopher Harborne, with the MP facing scrutiny over the undeclared payment.

The Reform UK leader was previously seen to change his story on whether the undeclared donation was for private security or a house purchase.

It comes as Robert Jenrick insisted the Reform UK leader was not a "liability" to the party on Sunday.

Recent hours have also seen MP Joe Powell confirm he had also written to the Standards Commissioner over whether Nigel Farage declared his "extensive property empire" correctly.

“These are really important rules- either Nigel Farage has knowingly or unknowingly misunderstood those rules, because these kinds of gifts and support, in the 12 months before an election, should absolutely be declared," the Labour MP continued.

“I think this is really causing quite a lot of damage to his brand, quite honestly," he said. "This is coming up on the doorstep, and these are eye-watering amounts of money that are another world to the working-class communities he purports to want to represent.”

The latest reports claim Farage received undeclared support - including security and social media staff - from crypto-gambler and convicted criminal Cottrell, in the run-up to his appointment as an MP.

The investigation also claims Farage used a property rented by Cottrell, 32, near Buckingham Palace.

Posting to X on Sunday, Babarinde posted a copy of the letter he had written to the standards committee, raising "serious concerns" about the nature of the donations in the wake of Mr Farage's £5 million donation.

"Mr Farage has made a career out of 'taking back control' but he is not being straight with the British people," the Liberal Democrats president and MP for Bournemouth said.

Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare financial interests and "registrable benefits" received in the 12 months before their election - although purely personal gifts or benefits do not need to be registered.

It comes as Labour MP Andrew Western noted: "When will people realise the stench of dodge around Nasty Nige has made his position totally untenable? He’s an absolute chancer grifting around coining it in wherever he can, and as the below shows from anyone he can…"

The latest allegations also saw the Conservatives call for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate.

The MP for Clacton is already facing a parliamentary probe after a £5m gift from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne was allegedly not registered appropriately by the party leader.

Mr Farage, who disputes the claims, said the money was to be used for personal security and did not need to be declared, as it was received before he became an MP.

A spokesman for Farage alleges that the additional support from Cottrell, unearthed in an investigation by The Sunday Times, did not need to be declared for similar reasons.

When he became an MP, Farage registered various other donations from Cottrell, including a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 and a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US domestic flight he provided in December 2024.

No other support from Cottrell - who admitted to one count of wire fraud in the US in 2017 - is listed in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.

Responding to the new allegations, a spokesman for Farage 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."

A spokesman for the Labour Party said: "Nigel Farage and Reform are engulfed in a huge and growing scandal.

"These new allegations of secret payments from a wealthy convicted criminal are on top of the ongoing scandal of his secret £5m gift from a crypto billionaire.

"How much money has he been given, what did his donors get in return, and why has he tried to cover them up and avoid legitimate questions?"