Nigel Farage insists Reform UK has ‘never taken foreign money’ as he dismisses donations row

NIGEL Farage has insisted that foreign money has “never been funnelled” to Reform UK amid a row over the party taking foreign cash. Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, the party leader said it had “never happened” despite admitting he “wasn’t listening” when he met with the two reporters posing as an American father and son. Nigel Farage pays tribute to the late British politician Ann Widdecombe on the second day of Reform UK Annual Conference Credit: EPA Mr Farage shows off his Union Jack-themed socks at the conference Credit: Reuters Mr Farage said it was not up to him to perform background checks. He continued: “I’m not a compliance officer, I’m a leader, I shake hands and take photographs”. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! In light of the allegations Farage admitted the conference “had a bit of a bad start with a few little local difficulties”. The party chief also said that he had been stopped from going on stage on Friday evening as counter-terrorism police were concerned about a “bomb threat”. He also revealed that his family had “begged” him to end his political career and he had lost their support over the summer. Mr Farage said: “For the first time, really, in my political career, I haven’t got my family’s support. “They would rather I packed it up and walked away.” Farage previously said the cash row was built on nothing but “loose pub talk” – and it comes after he faced questions over a £5million gift which led to his resignation and re-election as an MP. Most read in The Sun Senior adviser Dan Jukes and policy guru James Orr both stepped down on the first morning of the Birmingham rally pending an ­internal investigation. Both deny wrongdoing – but were filmed talking about how to get money to the party from an American donor. Despite both figures having close ties to the party, Mr Farage today referred to them as “two individuals”. Reform now also faces the ­possibility of probes by the ­Electoral Commission and the ­Metropolitan Police. Hinting to the donations row in his closing speech yesterday Mr Farage admitted his party “will make mistakes”. He told attendees: “I’ll tell you what we learned yesterday and today. “There will be times in this journey when there are good days and times when there are difficult days. “More often than not, things will be put upon us that are unfair. “But sometimes we will make mistakes, sometimes we will get things wrong and get a bit of a kicking for it. “But what this conference has shown is whatever you throw at the leadership, whatever you throw at you, the people’s army, we immediately pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and start all over again.” Comment now