Moment Nigel Farage is confronted over claims millionaire gave him £450k after Brexit vote
Nigel Farage’s lavish lifestyle has been funded to the tune of nearly half a million pounds by millionaire tycoon Arron Banks, a Channel 4 News investigation has claimed.
A £4.4m Chelsea home, furniture, utility bills, a car and driver, personal assistant and an office were among things funded by Mr Banks for the Brexit Party leader in the year following the EU referendum, the investigation alleges.
Mr Farage says Mr Banks - who is currently under investigation by the National Crime Agency over the source of his funding for the Leave campaign - has never funded The Brexit Party.
During the investigation, the MEP is confronted over claims Mr Banks spent around £450,000 funding his lifestyle.
Asked if he was a “kept man” rather than a “man of the people”, Mr Farage replies: “I’m fighting a European election campaign, you can bore on with whatever you want to bore on with.”
Pushed over the alleged gifts from the insurance tycoon, Mr Farage asks again: “Is there a European election next week?” before remaining tight-lipped in the face of more questioning.
And when told: “It’s a matter of transparency”, the politician replies: “It certainly is, we have got a democratic election next Thursday which is all about democracy and you won’t even talk about it.”
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The Channel 4 News investigation says that a company owned by Mr Banks leased a £4.4m three-bedroom Chelsea home with a garage for Mr Farage as well as furniture and fittings, a Land Rover Discovery.
Mr Banks also funded security as well as office space and the salary of a personal assistant, plus multiple visits to the United States in the year following the Brexit vote.
It says the revelations are contained in invoices, emails and other documents seen by Channel 4 News.
A statement from Mr Banks to Channel 4 News says: “Channel 4 attempts to smear myself and Nigel, come at a time when the Brexit Party is riding high in the polls, so it should come as no surprise to anyone.”
