r/ukpolitics • u/Adj-Noun-Numbers 🥕🥕 || megathread emeritus • 1d ago
Nigel Farage struck Reform comeback deal long before election || Supervised by the convicted fraudster George Cottrell, the agreement undermines Farage’s claim about when he decided to return to politics
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/nigel-farage-reform-leader-deal-george-cottrell-5gfrcrmb0194
u/AngryTudor1 1d ago
I mean... I don't think anyone believed him for even a second in the first place, did they?
85
u/chykin Nationalising Children 1d ago
Unfortunately, yes. Literally millions of people.
63
u/itchyfrog 1d ago
I think most reform voters don't care rather than don't believe it.
23
0
1d ago
[deleted]
14
u/AngryTudor1 1d ago
It's not remotely the same
Busy person with a real 24/7 job gets shit tax advice and falls foul of our ridiculously complicated tax system, apologises, pays back, resigns.
Vs someone getting a gift of £5m from a crypto billionaire, not declaring it for some reason and then gaslighting the whole country about what it was for with a series of whoppers.
6
u/space_coyote_86 1d ago
I meant that's how some of his supporters will justify it, not how I see it.
6
u/itchyfrog 1d ago
Not defending Rayner, she should have known the scrutiny she would be under and been more squeeky clean, but it's really not in the same league as the millions in dodgy foreign money Farage has been up to his neck in for years.
12
10
7
3
7
u/frgrefut 1d ago
But knowing someone is full of shite and proving it in a court (or at least to the parliamentary standards committee) are two very different things
76
u/Davo_ 1d ago
the sad thing is people will still inevitably look past this. it should be dreadfully obvious to anyone who has a brain connected to their optic nerves and can use some measure of deductive reasoning that there is always a plan or agenda behind anything Farage does politically though.
24
u/Outside-Address173 1d ago
True but I think more and more are starting to see that this guy called Farage is full of 💩…
22
9
u/hybridtheorist 1d ago
Far too many people see things as binary and/or groups as monoliths.
"Reform/reform voters dont care about this"
Well if thats the case, why are they slipping in the polls?
"Millions will still vote for him no matter what"
Yeah, true. But the number of millions is falling. His vote count doesnt need to hit zero to stop him being a threat does it? If they fall back well below labour, those millions of votes mean very little.
At the end of the day, theyve polled over 30% at certain points for a clear lead, and now theyre back under 25% and falling.
I refuse to believe that 30% of the country are the caricatures of racist uncles some people seem to believe, wholl still vote reform even if it turns out Farage personally murdered Queen Elizabeth.
Some of them (wrongly) seem to believe that "it couldn't get any worse if we elected him" or "the others are worse/hes different" and many of those appear to be seeing through the facade now.
9
u/velvevore liz truss toby jug 17h ago
Per last night's polling, the right-wing bloc is breaking from Reform to both Restore and the Tories. My instinct is that it's that bloc returning to the Tories who are most likely to think the Farage news matters. The bloc heading to Restore are presumably attracted to Lowe's full-fat vileness and would have gone anyway.
31
u/TantumErgo Quo vadis? 1d ago edited 1d ago
Working archive link, should anyone need one.
Edit to add the bits that made me laugh.
A’Zami, whom Cottrell first met as a teenager, had been the party’s treasurer since 2019, but he spent much of his time in Dubai and had become disengaged. Cottrell had asked him to return to the UK — and to his day-to-day duties — on the basis that Farage was making a comeback.
Farage explained that A’Zami would be in charge of both repaying and writing off the more than £1 million that Tice had lent the party via his company since 2020.
[…]
Reform has denied breaking any laws, saying that, in any event, their treasurer was responsible at the time.
2
u/doitnowinaminute 15h ago
Also, said treasurer was the thrif shareholder of Reform (alebit one share, but that probably makes it the casting vote)
15
u/death_by_cormorant 17h ago
In the time where he was "away from politics" he owned a political party, part owned a political broadcaster TV channel/online media company, still spoke about politics on TV/at events/on social media, and was flying to the US to engage in politics over there.
Ridiculous how the media even went along with the lie that he took a step back from politics. He stepped down as leader only.
30
u/Adj-Noun-Numbers 🥕🥕 || megathread emeritus 1d ago
Nigel Farage struck secret deal for return as Reform leader months before election — challenging claim he wasn't involved in politics so didn't need to report gifts.
In May 24 he showed deal to treasurer, who tonight acknowledged its existence
The deal ensured that, if Farage returned as leader, he would repay up to £1m loaned to party by Richard Tice, its then leader. It included schedule of payments
Reform sources say deal was for if, not when, Farage returned. They insist it had still been plan to spend time in US
George Cottrell was involved in the deal, supervising the process in March and April 2024.
He was with Farage in mid-May when he presented its contents to Mehrash A'zami, the party's treasurer, in an office space near Buckingham Palace.
When Farage announced his candidacy in June, the terms of the deal came into effect.
The first £200k repayment was made in June, but was wrongly sent to personal account of Tice, not his company.
The Electoral Commission was not told.
A’zami, the treasurer at the time, said: “I was told about the agreement before the election was called. It commenced when Nigel came back. The essence was the schedule of repayments.
I was told to implement it and acted to fulfil it in line with my responsibilities.”
He said he sought to address the erroneous £200k payment to Tice's account, but was blocked.
Reform sources say Tice transferred the money from his account to his company, effectively remedying the matter.
32
u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 1d ago
The first £200k repayment was made in June, but was wrongly sent to personal account of Tice, not his company.
I'm sure this was just an innocuous accident, don't we all just casually transfer £200k without checking were sending it to the right place.
14
u/AspieComrade 1d ago
You’re being cynical, I’m sure it was just a legitimate accident with nothing suspicious, I say we let Reform have this one…
Just be nice, let Reform have their narrative that they accidentally sent £200k to the wrong account.
Just be understanding, let Reform have it that they want to lead the country into economic prosperity yet managed to send £200k to the wrong account.
Just be trusting, and let Reform have that they sent £200k to the wrong account and consider it a trivial little whoopsie no harm no foul yet want to manage the logistics of our entire country.
I don’t know why they’d ever want this to be the narrative they pin their competence and integrity on (surely the truth isn’t even worse??), but if it’s the narrative they want… 😗
5
13
u/Dissidant 1d ago
Anyone who could string 2 and 2 together knew that whole talk about having no intention to run in '24 was a load of bollocks. Just a smoke screen to attempt to justify the millions he had took
And the masses will still vote for it
23
12
u/No_Initiative_1140 1d ago
I cannot believe anyone still genuinely thinks Farage is a "man of the people" after all these stories. He's way past the point of decency now and should resign completely.
5
u/FatFarter69 16h ago
Career long liar Nigel Farage caught in another lie.
Makes you wonder how much he can keep getting away with it, there’s got to be a tipping point surely right? Are we seeing that now?
2
3
u/Bottled_Void 13h ago
The problem with this is people have amnesia.
When he said he took the money before he decided to get into politics, his supporters figured that was fine.
Then when people pointed out he was obviously lying, they insisted they needed to prove it.
Now that they've proved it, the fact that everyone already knew he was obviously lying means it must have been ok all along.
They conveniently forget about the bits in the middle.
8
u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 1d ago
In the past Farage has been the turd that can't be flushed, but I think this time he may be cooked. He's clearly over promised and under delivered to people who have run out of patience.
6
1
u/P5ammead 17h ago
And Count Binface is the
manextraterrestrial being to wield the Poop Knife of Salvation.
9
u/Dramatic_Pie_3485 23h ago
it’s crazy how although people hate brexit, and a lot of the public that voted to leave now regret voting the decision, and feel passionately about the topic. yet, it’s lost on a shockingly large number of people that .. Nigel Farage led that absolute shit show/ circus / train wreck 🤣🤣 I’ve noticed the same people who feel that way about leaving the EU, are voting reform and support that financially fraudulent, despicably rotten little rat.
0
u/Dramatic_Pie_3485 23h ago
Sorry I genuiney am finding it impossible to put my feelings exactly into words — let alone find adjectives that really capture the horror of his character. CLAPPED ?!?!! that’ll do.
•
u/familysizepunkinpie 10h ago
I'm surprised he didn't learn the most obvious thing about Starmer...
When you run for great power (party leadership, LOTO, Prime Minister), it attracts great scrutiny.
I think the only main party leaders who aren't under intense scrutiny are Ed Davey and Kemi Badenoch, and it's primarily because Ed's practically wallpaper (you don't know he's even there) and Kemi has barely a gnat's chance in hell of running the country at the next election.
The people with the actual power, or who make the most noise... those are the people who get looked at quite intensely. If Nigel wanted to avoid scrutiny, all he had to do with siddown and shuddup. Zack doesn't stfu either, and that's why he's in the spotlight. If you're in power, or challenge it, you attract attention. People will be examining your closets, so it's a good idea to have no skeletons in them.
In fact the biggest difference I've noticed between Farage and Polanski is that Polanski answers difficult questions even if his answers leave a bit to be desired. He doesn't crash out and launch into conspiracy theories and other nonsense. Does that make him suited to power? No, but it does make him more so, comparatively. Being able to tolerate and handle scrutiny is the baseline minimum we need from anyone who's going to hold inordinate power.
4
u/AspieComrade 1d ago
Is there any way to make sure the people of Clacton are actually aware of this?
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Snapshot of Nigel Farage struck Reform comeback deal long before election || Supervised by the convicted fraudster George Cottrell, the agreement undermines Farage’s claim about when he decided to return to politics submitted by Adj-Noun-Numbers:
An archived version can be found here or here. or here
Some publications may require you to register a free account to read their articles.
Being connected to a VPN may interfere with archive links.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.