Labour Reports Farage Russia Hack Claim to Police

Labour has formally reported claims that Nigel Farage was targeted by Russian hackers to the Metropolitan Police and the UK's cyber security authorities, escalating a dispute over allegations first raised by Reform UK.

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The move follows reports that Farage believed his phone, email and bank accounts may have been compromised by individuals linked to Russia. According to accounts published in the Mail on Sunday, Reform sources said concerns arose after details emerged of a £5 million gift made to Farage by businessman Christopher Harborne.

Labour chair Anna Turley has written to both the Metropolitan Police and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), asking whether they are investigating the alleged cyber intrusion. She said the matter could have implications for national security, political integrity and public confidence in democratic institutions.

Reform Says Authorities Have Been Contacted

Reform UK said it had informed the appropriate authorities about the alleged incident, although it is not believed to have made a report to the Metropolitan Police. The party declined to comment further, saying it would be inappropriate to do so while inquiries were ongoing.

According to Reform sources, Farage became concerned that information had been accessed by foreign actors after reports surfaced about the financial gift. They claimed that only four people were aware of the payment and that Farage subsequently arranged for his mobile phone to undergo forensic examination by counter-espionage specialists.

Those specialists allegedly concluded that hostile actors, believed to be linked to Moscow, had used spear-phishing techniques to gain access to Farage's devices and accounts. Spear phishing involves sending targeted messages designed to trick recipients into revealing information or installing malicious software.

Farage told the newspaper that the alleged actions demonstrated the security threat posed by Russia.

Labour Calls for Evidence to Be Shared

Both Labour and the Conservatives have urged Reform UK to provide any evidence it possesses to the relevant security agencies.

In a letter sent to Farage last week, Turley described the alleged hacking as a potentially serious criminal matter and said any evidence should be submitted for independent investigation.

She later wrote directly to the Metropolitan Police and the NCSC, stating that if Reform UK had not reported the allegations, her correspondence should be treated as a formal report of what appeared, based on media accounts, to be a serious crime.

Turley stressed that Labour was not taking a position on whether the alleged compromise had actually occurred, but argued that the claims warranted examination by the authorities.

An NCSC spokesperson said the agency was ready to assist with any suspected cyber incident reported to it.

Gift Investigation Continues

The hacking allegations come amid continuing scrutiny of the £5 million gift made to Farage by Harborne in April 2024, shortly before Farage announced his candidacy in that year's general election.

The payment was not included in Farage's declaration of interests and only became publicly known after it was reported by the Guardian. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is investigating whether parliamentary rules were breached.

Farage has maintained that the payment was a private, non-political gift and therefore did not need to be declared. He has said Reform UK examined the rules carefully and concluded there was no requirement to register the payment.

Harborne has said he did not expect anything in return and described the gift as motivated by his admiration for Farage's role in achieving Brexit.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 30 May 2026